Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear Goes to Romanian Film, Child’s Pose

Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear Goes to Romanian Film, Child’s Pose

The Romanian film, Child’s Pose – a tale of corruption, entitlement and class struggles directed by Calin Peter Netzer – has won the Golden Bear award at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.

The film’s producer, Ada Solomon, took the opportunity to express her disdain for the lack of support for films in Romania. “Romanian politicians should pay much more attention to the kind of ambassador Romanian cinema is for our country around the world,” she said upon receiving the award. Pozitia Copilului, as the film is known in its native Romania, was subject to a host of international talent on the judging board, comprising Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, actor Tim Robbins, Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari and Iranian artist/director Shirin Neshat. An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker - directed by Danis Tanovic – won the silver bear. The film is a docudrama, re-creating institutional abuse and neglect of a Roma family in need, with the real members of the family playing themselves.

Headlines from the BIFF will, or course, focus on the posthumous release of River Phoenix’s last film before he died, Dark Blood. Dutch director George Sluizer salvaged the film from the archives before it was destroyed and, considering it was only 75% complete, with River’s death just 10 days before the end of shooting, Sluizer finished it off with voiceovers.