BERLIN (AP) 鈥 The French documentary 鈥淥n the Adamant鈥 (Sur l'Adamant) directed by Nicolas Philibert was named best film Saturday at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.
The film takes viewers onto a Seine barge in Paris that serves as a floating day-care center for adults suffering from mental disorders.
鈥淭hat a documentary is awarded and celebrated, that a documentary can be considered to be cinema in its own right touches me deeply,鈥 said a visibly moved Philibert after the prize was announced by the seven-member jury headed by .
Philibert said that in the film he had tried to 鈥渞everse the image鈥 that people have of those with mental illness and allow viewers to see 鈥渨hat unites us beyond our differences鈥
鈥淎s we all know, the craziest people are not those we think they are,鈥 he added.
The award for best director went to fellow French filmmaker Philippe Garrel for 鈥淭he Plough鈥 (Le grand chariot) about three siblings who are trying to keep alive the family puppeteering business.
Best leading performance was awarded to Spanish actor Sof铆a Ortero, who plays an 8-year-old child searching for identity and acceptance in 鈥20,000 Species of Bees鈥 (20.000 especies de abejas).
The award for best supporting performance went to Austrian actor Thea Ehre for her role in 鈥淭ill the End of the Night鈥 (Bis ans Ende der Nacht), while the best screenplay went to 鈥淢usic鈥 by German filmmaker Angela Schanelec.
French cinematographer H茅l猫ne Louvart received the Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution for her work on 鈥淒isco Boy.鈥
The 73rd Berlinale kicked off with , who asked artists and filmmakers to unequivocally declare their support for his country in its effort to fend off Russia's invasion forces
Zelenskyy, a former comedian and actor, featured prominently in Sean Penn鈥檚 film about the war in Ukraine, 鈥淪uperpower,鈥 .
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