Berlinale 2017: Golden Bear for Best Short Film to "Cidade Pequena" by Diogo Costa Amarante, from Porto, Portugal
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The 67th Berlin International Film Festival, also known as Berlinale, announced its winners for top prizes. Golden Bear for best short film this year's edition was awarded to "Small Town" by Portuguese Diogo Costa Amarante.
The international jury this year included director Paul Verhoeven, and also actors Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Jentsch and Diego Luna, director Wang Quan'an, producer Dora Bouchoucha Fourati and artist Olafur Eliasson.
The short film "Small Town" tells the story of Frederico, a six-year-old boy, who finds out at school that people die when their hearts stop beating.
This discovery prevents him for sleeping that night. The following day, his mother questions the teacher: Must children always be told the truth?
The Director, Diogo Costa Amarante, who also wrote and produced the film, explains the emotional world of Frederico and his mother by means of colourful scenes. The framing of the pictures take us back to detail present in paintings of the Italian Renaissance.
It is the second consecutive year that a Portuguese short film won Golden Bear for Best Short Film, after "Balada de um Batráquio" by Leonor Teles in 2016. In 2012 the short "Rafa", by João Salaviza, had also been selected for the top prize.
Berlin International Film Festival is of the most significant date for the international film industry, showcasing films of every genre, about 400 films per year and bringing together more than 20,000 professional visitors from 122 countries.