Spanish agricultural drama 'Alcarras' wins Berlin film fest

The 72nd Berlin film festival awarded its Golden Bear top prize on Wednesday to Spanish director Carla Simon's semi-autobiographical drama "Alcarras", about a family of peach farmers fighting for their future.

This year's Berlinale was held in-person for the first time in two years but was a shorter competition than usual, with strict regulations for audiences just as Covid-19 infections were peaking in Germany. 

There were 18 films from 15 countries vying for the Golden Bear, with the jury led by Indian-born American director M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense").

Simon, 35, dedicated the prize to her family, saying that "without them and my closeness to this world I wouldn't have been able to tell this story".

The Berlinale is now the third major European film festival in a row to award its top prize to a woman director, following Cannes and Venice last year.

German-Turkish comedian Meltem Kaptan, 41, won the festival's second ever gender-neutral acting prize for her performance in "Rabiye Kurnaz vs George W. Bush".

The film by German director Andreas Dresen tells the true story of a mother's battle to bring her son back from Guantanamo Bay. 

Kaptan dedicated the award "to all the mothers whose love is stronger than borders".

Six of the festival's seven top prizes went to women, including the gong for best director, clinched by France's Claire Denis for "Both Sides of the Blade". 

A tense pandemic-era love story, the film stars Juliette Binoche as a woman caught between two men -- her longtime partner Jean and her elusive ex Francois.

The Hollywood Reporter called it a "smart, moody, superbly acted melodrama", while Britain's Screen Daily said Binoche and co-star Vincent Lindon, who plays Jean, were "at the top of their game".

"The Novelist's Film", an understated drama from South Korean director Hong Sang-soo with a small cast of characters who reconnect by chance in the suburbs of Seoul, bagged second prize.

Variety called it a "gently circuitous, conversation-driven charmer", while the Hollywood Reporter praised its "sly humor and insights into the insecurities of the artistic process".