A film that transports Bizet's famous opera "Carmen" to the South African townships won the Golden Bear prize in Berlin Saturday. The libretto of the film, starring Pauline Malefane (R), is translated into the Xhosa language. Photo by berlinale.de
A film that transports Georges Bizet's famous opera "Carmen" to the South African townships won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival Saturday.
"U-Carmen eKhayelitsha" was the first South African film to compete for Berlin's Golden Bear award, and is said to be a surprise choice for many. The libretto is translated into the Xhosa language.
Germany's Julia Jentsch won the Silver Bear award for best actress at the Berlin Film Festival for her role in "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" about a young German student's defiance in the face of Hitler's Gestapo.
The film's director, Marc Rothemunds won best director.
The jury, headed by Roland Emmerich, the director of "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow," chose Lou Taylor Pucci as best actor for his role as an insecure teenager in the US film "Thumbsucker."