On February 22, local time, the 75th Berlin Film Festival came to an end. The jury, led by American director Todd Haynes, awarded the Golden Bear Award for Best Film to Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugrud's "Sex, Dream, Love Trilogy: Dream". Surprisingly, Chinese director Huo Meng, who participated in the three major European film festivals for the first time, won the Silver Bear Award for Best Director for "The Land of the Living".
On February 22, 2025, local time, Chinese director Huo Meng won the Best Director Award at the Berlin Film Festival for his film "The Living Land".
"Sex, Dream and Love Trilogy: Dream" is the final chapter of Haugrud's "Sex, Dream and Love Trilogy". The first two chapters "Sex" and "Love" were shortlisted for the main competition units of the Berlin Film Festival and Venice Film Festival last year. The film tells the story of a girl who wrote a letter expressing her love for her French teacher, shocking her mother and grandmother, prompting two generations to re-examine their inner secret feelings.
This is the first time that a Norwegian film has won the highest honor at the Berlin Film Festival, and the director himself was very excited. When he accepted the award, he said that winning the Golden Bear Award "far exceeded my wildest imagination." He also talked about his dual identity as a librarian and novelist, and called on people to spend more time reading and writing.
Poster of "Sex Dream Love Trilogy: Dream"
The Grand Jury Prize, equivalent to second place, was won by Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro for "Blue Paths," while the Grand Jury Prize, equivalent to third place, was won by Argentinian director Ivan Von der Les Messages.
"The Land of Life" is produced by Yao Chen, and Bad Rabbit Pictures, which she co-founded with her husband, photographer Cao Yu, is the second feature film by Huo Meng after "Crossing Zhaoguan". It is set in the early 1990s. Like its predecessor, it also focuses on rural life and shows the changes of an ordinary Chinese village from the perspective of a teenager. Another Chinese film shortlisted for the main competition unit, "The Girl Who Wants to Fly", unfortunately failed to win the award. Young director Jing Yi's first feature film "The Botanist" won the International Jury Award in the New Generation Children's Unit.
Poster of "The Living Land"
The Silver Bear for Best Screenplay went to the famous Romanian director Radu Jude for his film Europe 2025. He dedicated the award to the pioneering director Luis Buñuel, who was born 125 years ago (1900), and made a slightly sharp statement about the upcoming German election: "I hope that next year's Berlin Film Festival will not be opened by Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will."
In terms of acting awards, Australian actress Rose Byrne, who starred in "If You Had Legs, I'd Kick You" by American director Mary Bronstein, won the Best Leading Actor Award. Andrew Scott won the Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in "Blue Moon," a new film by the famous director Richard Lindlake.
"What has inspired me most is the fearless spirit of exploration shown by our audiences, which gives me confidence in the future of cinema," said Tricia Tuttle, artistic director of the Berlin Film Festival, in summarizing her first festival.
【List of winners of the main competition】
Best Film: Dag John Haugrud, "The Dream"
Grand Jury Prize: Gabriele Mascaro for The Blue Path
Best Director: Huo Meng, "The Land of the Living"
Jury Prize: The Message, Ivan Vonder
Best Lead Actor: Rose Byrne, If You Had Legs, I'd Kick You
Best Supporting Actor: Andrew Scott, "Blue Moon"
Best Screenplay: Radu Jude, "Europe in 2025"
Outstanding Artistic Contribution: "Ice Tower"
