Golden Bear winner of the 65th Berlinale Taxi and Four Oscar nominees To be shown in the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival

17 February 2015 (Hong Kong) – Congratulations to Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose latest film Taxi won the Golden Bear for Best Film and FIPRESCI award at the recently concluded 65th Berlinale. The 39thHong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) will bring Taxi to Hong Kong forits Asian Premiere at the HKIFF this March. Although banned from filmmaking and traveling abroad, Panahi manages to play a taxi driver in his own film, engaging his passengers in candid conversations about their lives in Tehran.

Widely recognized as one of the most influential Iranian directors, Jafar Panahi has achieved international recognition as early as his feature debut, The White Balloon (1995) which won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He went on to win major international awards for his films like The Mirror (1997), The Circle (2000) and Offside (2006). His films are famous for their humanistic approach to the life of the Iranian people, much to the displeasure of the Iranian government. Despite support from filmmakers around the world, Panahi was sentenced to six years in jail and a 20-year ban on directing films or leaving Iran. However, Panahi continued to make films in the midst of the controversy, including This is Not a Film (2011) and Closed Curtain (2013).

More HKIFF films awarded at the Berlinale

Five more award-winning films at the Berlinale 2015 will also be screened in the 39th HKIFF, including Jayro Bustamante’s Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize winner Ixcanul Volcano (Guatemala), Silver Bear for Best Director award winners Radu Jude’s Aferim! (Romania)and Malgorzata Szumowska’s Body(Poland), Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution winners Sebastian Schipper’s Victoria(Germany) and Alexei German Jr.’s Under Electric Clouds (Russia).

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Salt of the Earth (Wim Wenders)

The 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) will screen four of the nomineesat the 87thAcademy Awards, which include nominations in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature Film and Best Animation Short Film categories. The winners will be announced on 23rd February.

Best Documentary Feature –The Salt of the Earth

Winner of the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard Section of the Cannes Film Festival last year, German master filmmaker Wim Wenders’ The Salt of the Earth (co-directed by Juliano R. Salgado) is a favorite to win the Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars. Wenders paints a rich portrait of Brazilian master photographer Sebastiao Salgado following him as he works in exotic locations, discussing his life and work, and projecting his photographs onto a semi-transparent mirror that allows audience to see both the image and the man himself, a device which echoes Wenders’ Cannes-winning masterpiece Paris, Texas (also shown in HKIFF this year).

Best Foreign Language Film –Timbuktu

Apart from Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, which was screened at the 38th HKIFF, Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu is also one of the favorites for Best Foreign Language Film Award at the Oscars this year. Having already won the Best Director Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, director Sissako shows his grace and skill at capturing the tribulations of a foreign land seized by foreign jihadists. Timbuktu confirms Sissako as one of the true humanists of recent cinema.

Best Animated Feature Film–Song of the Sea

After being nominated for Best Animated Feature Film for The Secret of Kells in 2010, Director Tomm Moore returns to the Oscars with Song of the Sea, another stunning piece of hand-drawn animation inspired by Celtic maritime folklore, with magical beings who live as seals in water and humans on land.

Best Animated Short Film –The Dam Keeper

From USA, the Dam Keeper, directed by Robert Kondo and Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi, tells a tale between a fox and a pig with vibrant and exciting colors. It will be included in the World Animation programme in this year’s HKIFF.