58th Berlin International Film Festival
![]() Festival poster | |
| Opening film | Shine a Light |
|---|---|
| Closing film | Be Kind Rewind |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Awards | Golden Bear: Elite Squad |
| No. of films | 310 films[1] |
| Festival date | 7–17 February 2008 |
| Website | Website |
The 58th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 7 to February 17, 2008.[2] The festival opened with Martin Scorsese's documentary film Shine a Light.[3] Be Kind Rewind by Michel Gondry served as the closing film.[4] Greek filmmaker Costa Gavras, was selected to serve as the Jury President for the main competition.[5]
The Golden Bear was awarded to Elite Squad directed by José Padilha.[6] The retrospective dedicated to Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel was shown at the festival.[7]
Juries
The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival:[8]
Main Competition
- Costa-Gavras, Greek filmmaker and producer - Jury President
- Uli Hanisch, German production designer
- Diane Kruger, German actress
- Walter Murch, American director and editor
- Shu Qi, Taiwanese actress and model
- Alexander Rodnyansky, Russian producer
Best First Feature Award Jury
- Ben Barenholtz, American producer and distributor
- Dominique Cabrera, French filmmaker
- Jasmila Žbanić, Bosnian filmmaker and producer
Short Film Competition Jury
- Marc Barbé, French actor and director
- Ada Solomon, Romanian producer
- Laura Tonke, German actress
Official Sections
Main Competition
The following films were in competition for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards:[1]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballast | Lance Hammer | United States | |
| Cherry Blossoms | Kirschblüten – Hanami | Doris Dörrie | Germany |
| Sparrow | 文雀 | Johnnie To | Hong Kong |
| Black Ice | Musta jää | Petri Kotwica | Finland, Germany |
| Elegy | Isabel Coixet | United States | |
| Elite Squad | Tropa de Elite | José Padilha | Brazil |
| Gardens of the Night | Damian Harris | United States, United Kingdom | |
| Happy-Go-Lucky | Mike Leigh | United Kingdom | |
| Heart of Fire | Feuerherz | Luigi Falorni | Eritrea, Germany, United Kingdom |
| In Love We Trust | 左右 | Wang Xiaoshuai | China |
| I've Loved You So Long | Il y a longtemps que je t'aime | Philippe Claudel | France, Germany |
| Julia | Erick Zonca | France, United States, Mexico, Belgium | |
| Kabei: Our Mother | 母べえ | Yoji Yamada | Japan |
| Lady Jane | Robert Guédiguian | France | |
| Lake Tahoe | Fernando Eimbcke | Mexico | |
| Night and Day | 밤과 낮 | Sang-soo Hong | South Korea |
| Quiet Chaos | Caos calmo | Antonello Grimaldi | Italy |
| Restless | Amos Kollek | Israel, Germany | |
| Standard Operating Procedure | Errol Morris | United States | |
| The Song of Sparrows | آواز گنجشکها | Majid Majidi | Iran |
| There Will Be Blood | Paul Thomas Anderson | United States | |
Official Awards

The following prizes were awarded by the Jury:[6][9]
Main Competition
- Silver Bear Grand Prize of the Jury: Standard Operating Procedure by Errol Morris
- Silver Bear for Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
- Silver Bear for Best Actor: Reza Naji for The Song of Sparrows
- Silver Bear for Best Actress: Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky
- Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Wang Xiaoshuai for In Love We Trust
- Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Jonny Greenwood for There Will Be Blood (score)
- Alfred Bauer Prize: Fernando Eimbcke for Lake Tahoe
Independent Awards
References
- ^ a b "PROGRAMME 2008". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "58TH BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 7 – 17, 2008". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "Scorsese's "Shine A Light" to Open the 58th Berlinale". indiewire. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "THE 58TH BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO A SUCCESSFUL CLOSE: MUSIC, STARS AND GRAND EMOTIONS". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "BERLINALE 2008: OSCAR WINNER COSTA-GAVRAS TO BE JURY PRESIDENT". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ a b "PRIZES & HONOURS 2008". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "RETROSPECTIVE". Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "JURIES 2008". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "2008 Berlin Awards" (PDF). berlinale.de. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2008 Berlin Film Festival.
