The Berlin public partly confirms the verdict of the March juries.

(Berlin Luigi Noera with the kind collaboration of Marina fearful – Photos are published courtesy of the Berlinale)

This hybrid edition of the Berlinale ends 2021 with the prizes awarded by the Berlin public.

In particular, the Audience Award of the Berlinale Competition 2021 going to:

Mr. Bachmann and his class (Mr. Bachmann and his class) (Germany) by Maria Speth. The film received the Silver Bear - Jury Prize in March

In a German city with a complex history of both exclusion and integration of foreigners, a charismatic teacher provides his pupils, all of which come from different countries of origin, the key to feeling at home in Germany and becoming citizens of the world.

Award-winning director Maria Speth received the award in person.

The second and third place of the Audience Award of the Berlinale Competition 2021 they go to:

I am your human (I'm your man) (Germany) at Maria Schrader, awarded in March with the Silver Bear for best protagonist went to Maren Eggert

Ghasideyeh ha dato sefid (Ballad of a white cow) (Iran / France) by Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam

The Audience Panorama Award 2021 going to:

The Last Forest (The last forest) (Brazil) Luiz Bolognesi

In powerful images, alternating documentary observation and staged sequences, and dense soundscapes, Luiz Bolognesi documents the indigenous Yanomami community and describes their threatened natural environment in the Amazon rainforest.

The winners of the Luiz Bolognesi prize, Pedro José Marquez Valencia and Talita del Collado will receive the award in person this evening.

The second and third place of the Panorama del Audience Award go to:

Miguel’s War (Lebanon / Germany / Spain) by Eliane Raheb

Genderation (Germany) by Monika Treut

Thus the 71st Berlin International Film Festival ended successfully on 20 June. As known due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the berlinale 2021 it was split into two events: the first phase of the festival took place online from 1 to 5 March aimed primarily at professionals from the film industry and the press. The Berlinale Summer Special, which received support from the Berlin Senate as a pilot project with mandatory testing, instead it gave the Berlin public the chance to finally see the Berlinale films on the big screen.

“We are very happy to have kept our plan for a summer event. After months of cultural stalemate, the Berlinale Summer Special was truly a great event and a total success. The demand was phenomenal and the festival atmosphere was constantly enthusiastic and stimulating. We thank the audience and the directors for their active participation and extraordinary welcome. Special thanks also go to all participating Berlin cinemas, whose collaboration helped us kick off a wonderful Berlin film summer with the Summer Special. E, last but not least, we thank the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media Monika Grütters for the additional funding through NEUSTART KULTUR, which made the two-stage concept of the Berlinale possible in the first place”, commented the directors of the Berlinale, Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian .

But here are the numbers of this second session: 126 films were screened in 193 projections in 16 locations throughout Berlin during this year's program. They have been sold 60.410 tickets, bringing the total use to 92,16%. For the Berlin public, being able to enjoy the films of the Berlinale outdoors in the heat was a truly special experience. An outdoor cinema was built just for the Berlinale Summer Special on Museum Island, framed by the TV Tower and the Berlin Cathedral. In addition to movie previews, the opening ceremony was also held, the award ceremony, the event in honor of the European Shooting Stars and the presentation of the Berlinale Competition Audience Award 2021 we have told you about.

Despite the pandemic, numerous film teams – more than 330 guests – they went to Berlin to present their films and talk to the public.