French works and artists triumphed on Saturday, February 25 at the Berlinale 2023 awards ceremony. Nicolas Philibert, Philippe Garrel, Paul B. Preciado, and Hélène Louvart, among others, all received awards.
The vitality of French cinematic creation was once again asserted at the Berlinale, exploring the full range of genres and formats (fiction, documentary, short films, film essays, etc.), demonstrating again the singularity of the filmmakers' points of view.
The International Jury, chaired by the American actress Kristen Stewart, presented the awards at the closing ceremony on Saturday, February 25 in Berlin.
The Year of the Documentary, launched on January 23 at the FIPADOC by the CNC, is off to a great start with the awarding of the Golden Bear in Berlin to director Nicolas Philibert for his documentary On the Adamant, shot on a Parisian barge for people with mental health problems. The film will be released in France on April 23.
Also with regard to documentary, this time in the Encounters strand, Paul B. Preciado's film Orlando, My Political Biography, which delicately and poetically revives Virginia Woolf's visionary novel, won no less than four awards, including the Encounters Special Jury Prize (ex aequo) and the Documentary Award — Special Mention.
Director Philippe Garrel, a regular at the Berlinale, received the Silver Bear for Best Director for The Plough. The film, which has not yet been released in France, tells the story of the romantic and tragic destiny of a family of puppeteers.
Also noteworthy is the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution awarded to cinematographer Hélène Louvart for her work on the majority French co-production Disco Boy by Giacomo Abbruzzese. The film will be released in French theaters on April 5, 2023.
In total, no less than 18 prizes were awarded to the French films that made up the majority of the films shown in Berlin this year.
Unifrance warmly congratulates all of the film teams who won awards at the Berlinale.
The full awards list for French titles
Features:
Golden Bear for Best Film: On the Adamant by Nicolas Philibert
Silver Bear — Jury Prize: Bad Living by João Canijo (French co-production shares not specified)
Silver Bear for Best Director: Philippe Garrel for The Plough
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Angela Schanelec for Music (minority-French production)
Silver Bear for Best Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Hélène Louvart for the cinematography in Disco Boy by Giacomo Abbruzzese
Special Jury Prize Encounters (ex aequo): Orlando, My Political Biography by Paul B. Preciado
Berlinale Documentary Award — Special Mention: Orlando, My Political Biography by Paul B. Preciado
Ecumenical Jury Prize — Competition: Tótem by Lila Avilés (French co-production shares not specified)
Ecumenical Jury Prize — Panorama: Midwives by Léa Fehner
Ecumenical Jury Prize — Forum: Where God is Not by Mehran Tamadon (French co-production shares not specified)
Ecumenical Jury Prize — Special Mention: On the Adamant by Nicolas Philibert
Teddy Awards — Best Documentary/Essay Film: Orlando, My Political Biography by Paul B. Preciado
Peace Film Prize: Seven Winters in Teheran by Steffi Niederzoll (minority-French production)
Compass-Perspektive Award: Seven Winters in Teheran by Steffi Niederzoll (minority-French production)
Panorama Audience Fiction Film Award: Sira by Apolline Traoré (French co-production shares not specified)by
Tagesspiegel Readers' Jury Award: Orlando, My Political Biography by Paul B. Preciado
Short film:
Golden Bear for Best Short Film: Les Chenilles by Michelle Keserwany & Noel Keserwany
Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards: Les Chenilles by Michelle Keserwany & Noel Keserwan
