Berlinale jury president Meryl Streep and her six colleagues have their work cut out for them on Saturday evening. Which film will take home the coveted Golden Bear, and who will walk away with the Silver Bears?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Stache
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Who will win the Berlinale Bears?
There's always plenty of speculation ahead of the Berlinale award ceremony: Who will get the Golden Bear top award for best film, and who will walk away with the various Silver Bears? DW takes a peek at the best entries.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Hirschberger
'24 Weeks'
The only German entry in the competition is one to keep an eye on - there just might be a Golden Bear waiting in the wings for the melodrama about a couple that is expecting a child with special needs, perhaps even a Silver Bear for Best Director. Julia Jentsch is in the running for a Silver Bear for best actress, too.
Image: Friede Clausz
'Fuocoammare'
Italian director Gianfranco Rosi's documentary about the refugee situation on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa is also a possibility for the Golden Bear, or perhaps the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. It highlights one of the most compelling issues of our times.
Image: Berlinale
'L'avenir'
If it were up to the critics, the French film "L'avenir" would be another contender for the top prize. Isabelle Huppert convincingly plays a philosophy teacher caught up in a late-life crisis. She certainly stands a chance of winning a Silver Bear for best actress.
Image: L' avenir/Mia Hansen-Løve
'Chang Jiang Tu'
This mystical film about a small cargo boat's journey up a river convinced some critics, while others felt "Chang Jiang Tu" ("Crosscurrent") was too slow-paced. That said, director Yang Chao's entry could win a Silver Bear for Best Camera.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Berlinale
'Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis'
The Philippine film "Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis" ("A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery") is also in the running for the Silver Bear for Best Camera. The drama tells the story of the country's history and of its Spanish colonial occupiers - an eight-hour epic that could also garner the Silver Bear for best director.
Image: Bradley Liew
'Genius'
How about these two gentlemen for best actor? In "Genius," Colin Firth (left) and Jude Law portray an unusual couple: Law plays spirited US writer Thomas Wolfe, while Firth is Max Perkins, his quiet, patient and introverted literary editor.
Image: Pinewood Films
'Alone in Berlin'
This war drama based on a novel by Hans Fallada failed to impress at the 66th Berlinale - except for male lead Brendan Gleeson in the role of Otto Quangel. The Irish actor stands a chance to win the Silver Bear for best actor.
Image: X Filme Creative Pool/Marcel Hartmann
'Soy Nero'
This drama by Iranian-British director Rafi Pitts tells the story of a young Mexican in the US. The international co-production (Germany/France/Mexico/USA) highlights the consequences of globalization for the individual. Perhaps a Silver Bear for best screenplay?
Image: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin 2016
'Smrt u Sarajevu'
The Silver Bear for best screenplay could also go to the Bosnian thriller "Smrt u Sarajevu" ("Death in Sarajevo"). Director Danis Tanovic takes a look at the trouble spot in the heart of the European continent, skillfully linking history and the present.
Image: Margo Cinema & SCCA/pro.ba
'Inhebbek Hedi'
The Tunisian film "Inhebbek Hedi" ("Hedi") might also be among the winners. A quiet film without cinematic highlights, "Hedi" closely observes the distress and fears of a young man in North Africa. The film is astute and extraordinarily up to date.
Image: Sawssen Saya
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Film festival lore has it that the jury always decides differently from the audience or the critics. Perhaps the actors, camera teams, producers and film distributors would come up with yet another choice - but, alas, it's all up to the jury.
Four of the seven jury members are actors, so conceivably, they might be swayed by acting skills - and there certainly has been no shortage of excellent actors and actresses in the films shown at the Berlin Film Festival.
Berlinale jury president and US actress Meryl Streep and her jury of six are set to announce the awards of the 66th Berlin Film Festival on Saturday evening.
The new edition of KINO is all about the Berlin Film Festival. We present runners-up and winners, check out the festival's music films and speak to cinematographer Michael Ballhaus - the recipient of the Berlinale's Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement.
