In addition to the awards presented in March at this year's Berlinale, which has been split into several phases due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Berlinale Summer Special section has announced that Alice Diop has picked up the Best Documentary Award for her film We, while the French coproduction The First 54 Years by Avi Mograbi received a Special Mention in the Documentary category.
Having already won the Best Film Award in the Encounters section in the first phase of awards announced in March, Alice Diop was in competition with sixteen other directors for Best Documentary honors. The Berlinale Documentary Award jury, composed of Albertina Carri, Orwa Nyrabia, and Janna Ji Wonders, expressed their particular appreciation of the director's humanist approach to her subjects in We—travelers on the Paris RER B train line—and the structuring of her film around an autobiographical form. The sum of €40,000 accompanying the award will be divided between the director and her producer Sophie Salbot (Athénaïse). The film is sold by Totem Films.
The Documentary jury's Special Mention was bestowed on The First 54 Years – An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation by Avi Mograbi, produced by Camille Laemlé and Serge Lalou (Les Films d'Ici). This film explores the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip through the testimonies of Israeli soldiers. The film is sold by The Party Film Sales.
You can watch the June 13 awards ceremony, in which Alice Diop was presented with her prize (photo), by clicking on this link.
Take a look at all the award-winning French titles at this year's 71st Berlinale.
The complete Berlinale awards list can be found here.
