Chinese film "Tuya's Marriage" wins in Berlin
Saturday February 17 4:44 PM ET
Chinese movie "Tuya's Marriage," which explores the environmental and human cost of the country's rapid economic growth through the lives of Mongolian herders, won the Berlin film festival's top honor on Saturday.
The Golden Bear for best picture makes it a pair for Chinese cinema at Europe's top film festivals, after similarly themed "Still Life" won the Golden Lion in Venice in September.
"Tuya's Marriage" is set against the desertification of remote parts of China, which is forcing traditional shepherds into towns and cities, while "Still Life" concerns the upheaval caused by the giant Three Gorges Dam project.
"I think that it is important, particularly in this time when the economy is booming, to ponder and reflect on what we're losing," director Wang Quan'an said of "Tuya's Marriage."
"Once we've lost them (culture and tradition), we'll never be able to get them back," he told reporters after the prize ceremony.
"The best films aren't those that solve problems or give answers, but those that simply show things as they are ... that portray life authentically. That means we start to think about the lives of other people."
Tuya, the shepherdess who seeks a new husband after hers falls ill, is played by Yu Nan, who was among the favorites to win the best actress Silver Bear in Berlin this year.
That prize eventually went to Nina Hoss for "Yella," the third German actress to win the award in three years.
Yu learned to ride a horse and camel and herd sheep for the part.
"It was my first time in (inner) Mongolia and I needed four to five months to get accustomed to life there," she said. "It may well be that these people have to move into the towns and cities, and I really appreciated the chance to make the film."
SURPRISE CHOICES
The choice of "Tuya's Marriage" came as a mild surprise to journalists and critics who followed the 10-day movie marathon.
While no firm favorite emerged from the 22 films in the main competition, many saw the frontrunners as Germany's "The Counterfeiters," a Nazi-era drama, and "Irina Palm," a British black comedy starring singer/actress Marianne Faithfull.
Best director went to Joseph Cedar for "Beaufort," about a group of young Israeli soldiers defending an outpost in the heart of enemy territory in southern Lebanon.
"It's obvious we're against war and it's horrible," Cedar said. "Hopefully this film will give insight into the specific nature of how absurd combat and war is."
"Yella," for which Hoss won best actress, tells the story of a woman who flees the depressed former Communist east of Germany for the more affluent west, but is haunted by her past.
"I didn't expect this at all because of the huge competition," she told reporters. "I feel even more honored ... to get this gift against Cate Blanchett and Marianne Faithfull ... and all those great actresses I really admire."
Best actor Silver Bear went to Argentina's Julio Chavez for "The Other," a slow-paced and critically unpopular account of a man who goes through a mid-life crisis when he discovers his partner is pregnant.
The close-up camera work catches every twitch on Chavez's face as he travels to a remote town on business and assumes false identities to escape reality.
The film, directed by Ariel Rotter, also won the Jury Grand Prix prize, effectively the runner up award in the best film category.
