IRANIAN drama Nader and Simin: A Separation won the Golden Bear for best picture at the Berlin film festival on Saturday, while its ensemble cast also picked up the best actor and actress prizes.
Director Asghar Farhadi’s portrayal of a marriage in crisis was firm favourite for the coveted award, and its victory was the first for an Iranian picture, Berlin organisers said.
In the movie, one family is pitted against another in a gripping legal tussle which highlights the gap between middle class “intellectuals” and poorer, traditional Iranians for whom religious beliefs and honour tend to be more important.
Farhadi paid tribute to fellow Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi, who was unable to accept Berlin’s invitation to sit on the main jury after being sentenced to six years in jail and banned from making movies or travelling abroad for 20 years.
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