74th Berlin Film Festival Awards: Mati Diop’s ‘Dahomey’ Wins Golden Bear, Sebastian Stan and Emily Watson Take Acting Prizes
Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey, about 26 royal treasures of the Kingdom of Dahomey about to leave Paris to return to their country of origin, the present-day Republic of Benin, has won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.
The doc, which takes place in November 2021, takes its name from the former West African kingdom of Dahomey, located in the south of today’s Republic of Benin. It was founded in the 17th century by King Houegbadja. Under his reign and that of his descendants — a three-century dynasty — the kingdom was a considerable regional power, with a highly structured local economy, a centralized administration, a system of taxes, and a powerful army, including the famous Amazon women (Agodjié). Dahomey is Diop’s first feature since 2019’s Atlantics, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes.
This year’s Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance went to Sebastian Stan for A Different Man while the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance went to Emily Watson for festival opener Small Things Like These. Berlin introduced gender-neutral acting awards in 2021. A Different Man will be released in the U.S. by A24.
In other top competition prizes, Hong Sangsoo was award the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for A Traveler’s Needs, Bruno Dumont’s The Empire won the Silver Bear Jury Prize and the Silver Bear for Best Director went to Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias for Pepe. Matthias Glasner was the screenplay winner for Dying and for outstanding contribution the jury awarded Martin Gschlacht’ cinematography for The Devil’s Bath.
Earlier in the week, Martin Scorsese received the festival’s Honorary Golden Bear, presented by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, who described him as “the reigning king of cinema.”
Here is the complete list of winners of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.
COMPETITION
Golden Bear for Best Film: “Dahomey,” Mati Diop
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: “A Traveler’s Needs,” Hong Sangsoo
Silver Bear Jury Prize: “The Empire,” Bruno Dumont
Silver Bear for Best Director: “Pepe,” Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias
Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance: “A Different Man,” Sebastian Stan
Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance: “Small Things Like These,” Emily Watson
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: “Dying,” Matthias Glasner
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: “The Devil’s Bath,” Martin Gschlacht, cinematography
ENCOUNTERS
Best Film: “Direct Action,” Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell
Best Director: “Cidade; Campo,” Juliana Rojas
Special Jury Award: (ex aequo) “The Great Yawn of History,” Aliyar Rasti; “Some Rain Must Fall,” Qiu Yang
BERLINALE DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Best Documentary: “No Other Land,” Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Special Mention: “Direct Action,” Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell
GWFF BEST FIRST FEATURE
Best First Feature: “Cu Li Never Cries,” Phạm Ngọc Lân
BERLINALE SHORTS
Golden Bear: “An Odd Turn,” Francisco Lezama
Silver Bear: “Remains of the Hot Day,” Wenqian Zhang
Special Mention: “That’s All From Me,” Eva Könnemann
PANORAMA AWARDS
Panorama Audience Award: “Memories of a Burning Body,” Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
Second Prize: “Crossing,” Levan Akin
Third Prize: “All Shall Be Well,” Ray Yeung
Panorama Documentary Audience Award: “No Other Land,” Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Second Prize: “My Stolen Planet,” Farahnaz Sharifi
Third Prize: “Teaches of Peaches,” Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer
GENERATION AWARDS
Generation International Jury
Grand Prix for Best Film in Generation 14plus: “Who By Fire,” Philippe Lesage
Special Mention: “Maydegol,” Sarvnaz Alambeigi
Special Prize for Best Short Film in Generation 14plus: “A Bird Flew,” Leinad Pájaro De la Hoz
Special Mention: “Songs of Love and Hate,” Saurav Ghimire
Grand Prix for Best Film in Generation Kplus: “Reinas,” Klaudia Reynicke
Special Mention: “Through Rocks and Clouds,” Franco García Becerra
Special Prize for Best Short Film in Generation Kplus: “A Summer’s End Poem,” Lam Can-zhao
Special Mention: “Uli,” Mariana Gil Ríos
Youth Jury Generation 14plus
Crystal Bear for Best Film: “Last Swim,” Sasha Nathwani
Special Mention: “She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones,” Qu Youjia
Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: “Cura Sana,” Lucía G. Romero
Special Mention: “Lapso,” Caroline Cavalcanti
Children’s Jury Generation Kplus
Crystal Bear for Best Film: “It’s Okay!,” Kim Hye-young
Special Mention: “Young Hearts,” Anthony Schatteman
Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: “Butterfly,” Florence Miailhe
Special Mention: “Soukun,” Dina Naser
INDEPENDENT JURY PRIZES
Ecumenical Jury Prizes
Competition: “My Favorite Cake,” Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha
Panorama: “Sex,” Dag Johan Haugerud
Forum: “Maria’s Silence,” Dāvis Sīmanis
Special Mention: “Intercepted,” Oksana Karpovych
FIPRESCI Jury Prizes
Competition: “My Favorite Cake,” Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha
Encounters: “Sleep With Your Eyes Open,” Nele Wohlatz
Panorama: “Faruk,” Aslı Özge
Forum: “The Human Hibernation,” Anna Cornudella Castro
Teddy Awards
Best Feature Film: “All Shall Be Well,” Ray Yeung
Best Documentary/Essay Film: “Teaches of Peaches,” Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer
Best Short Film: “Grandmamauntsistercat,” Zuza Banasińska
Jury Award: “Crossing,” Levan Akin
Special Teddy Award: Lothar Lambert
CICAE Art Cinema Award
Panorama: “Sex,” Dag Johan Haugerud
Forum: “Shahid,” Narges Kalhor
Guild Film Prize: “Dying,” Matthias Glasner
Label Europa Cinemas: “Sex,” Dag Johan Haugerud
Caligari Film Prize: “Shahid,” Narges Kalhor
Peace Film Prize: “Favoriten,” Ruth Beckermann
Amnesty International Film Award: “The Strangers’ Case,” Brandt Andersen
Heiner Carow Prize: “Ivo,” Eva Trobisch
AG-Kino Gilde Cinema Vision 14Plus: “Last Swim,” Sasha Nathwani
Special Mention: “Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story,” Luck Razanajaona
OTHER PRIZES
Berliner Morgenpost Readers’ Jury Award: “Dying,” Matthias Glasner
Tagesspiegel Readers’ Jury Award: “A Family,” Christine Angot
DEVELOPMENT AWARDS
Kompagnon Fellowship: “The Shore,” Vladimir Beck; “Traversée,” Tizian Stromp Zargari
Artekino International Award: “Ich bin Marika,” Hajni Kis
Eurimages Co-Production Development Award: “Screaming Girl,” Antonio Lukich
VFF Talent Highlight Award: “Silence Sometimes,” Álvaro Robles
Honorable Mentions: “Astana Internet Stars,” Assel Aushakimova; “More Than a Hug,” Liselotte Persson
Talents Footprints (Masterd Enablement Program): “Radioxity Stop Motion Animation Academy,” Esther Kemi Gbadamosi; “Return to the Source: Film Workshop & Residency Programme,” Perivi John Katjavivi
Alumni Projects: “UnderCurrent,” Shuchi Talati; “Sunshine Cinema,” Sydelle Willow Smith
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2025 Oscars: Eligibility Lists for Animated Feature, Documentary Feature and International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards - November 21, 2024
- Nava Mau, Sean Wang Among 2024 BAFTA Breakthroughs Championing New ‘Must-Watch’ Creatives - November 21, 2024
- Hans Zimmer, ‘Emilia Pérez,’ Diane Warren Top 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards - November 21, 2024
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 72 – ‘Three Colours: Blue’ (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1993) 
2025 Oscars: Eligibility Lists for Animated Feature, Documentary Feature and International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards 
Nava Mau, Sean Wang Among 2024 BAFTA Breakthroughs Championing New ‘Must-Watch’ Creatives 
Interview: Saoirse Ronan on Addiction, Recovery, and ‘The Outrun’ [VIDEO]