The Berlin Film Festival has announced its winners, with “Dreams (Sex Love)“ taking the Golden Bear, the festival’s highest honor.
Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud, the Norwegian film tells the story of a teenage girl who expresses her deep emotions for a teacher through a powerful personal essay.
This marks the third and final film in Haugerud’s trilogy, following “Sex” and “Love.” The director was emotional while accepting the award, saying, “This was beyond my wildest dreams.”
The Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s second-highest honor, went to “The Blue Trail” by Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro.
The film explores how society treats older citizens, imagining a future where those over 75 are forced into exile. The protagonist, however, escapes and forges her own path.
Other major awards included:
- Best Director: Huo Meng for “Living the Land”
- Best Leading Performance: Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You”
- Best Supporting Performance: Andrew Scott for “Blue Moon”
- Best Screenplay: Radu Jude for “Kontinental ’25”
Under the leadership of new festival chief Tricia Tuttle, Berlinale introduced the Perspectives section, which focuses on debut filmmakers. The top prize in this category went to “The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box)” by Ernesto Martínez Bucio.
Meanwhile, the documentary award went to “Holding Liat”, a film produced by Darren Aronofsky about an Israeli family dealing with their son being taken hostage. The Teddy Award, which honors LGBTQ+ cinema, was won by the Australian animated film “Lesbian Space Princess.”
The 75th edition of the Berlin Film Festival saw a mix of established and emerging talent winning awards, making it a memorable event for global cinema.
