Of the three main European film festivals, the Berlinale is known for being the most political. It lived up to its reputation in its 74th edition, giving the Golden Bear, its highest honor, to Mati Diop’s documentary “Dahomey,” which accompanied the return of 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey to Benin.

“To rebuild, we must first restitute,” said the French-Senegalese filmmaker in her acceptance speech. “We are among those who refuse to forget.”

With the successful 2019 premiere of her feature film “Atlantics,” Diop had already created history at Cannes by being the first Black woman to have a competitive movie.

The documentary is being celebrated at a moment when there is much discussion over the repatriation of artifacts from former colonial nations’ museums.

Unexpected Selections from the Silver Bears

The worldwide jury, which Lupita Nyong’o led, rejected other pieces that were regarded as favorites. Six co-jurors helped the Mexican-Kenyan Academy Award-winning actress choose the Golden and Silver Bears: director and actor Brady Corbet (US); writer Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine); director Ann Hui (Hong Kong, China); director Christian Petzold (Germany); director Albert Serra (Spain); actor and director Jasmine Trinca (Italy); and writer Christian Petzold (Germany).

Several commentators were moved by the Iranian entry “My Favourite Cake,” which addresses taboos experienced by Iranian women. The work led to travel restrictions for its directors, Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, from Iran by Iranian authorities. Prior to the big event, the movie won the Fipresci Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, but it was not awarded any of the coveted bears.

Meanwhile, Berlinale veteran Hong Sangsoo’s “A Traveler’s Needs,” deemed by critics to be a pretty mediocre piece, took home the second highest prize of the festival. The renowned South Korean director is expanding his collection of Berlin film festival honors by including the 2024 Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. Upon accepting the award, the director remarked, “I don’t know what you saw in the film,” which made the audience giggle.

When Bruno Dumont, a French filmmaker, won his Silver Bear Jury Prize for his sci-fi parody “The Empire,” he allowed a recording of an AI voice to speak in the name of the award. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias, a Dominican director, won the Silver Bear for Best Director for his experimental film “Pepe” while criticizing American imperialism.

Sebastian Stan and Emily Watson win Acting Honors

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will recognize Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier from “A Different Man,” where he won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. Emily Watson, who plays Sister Mary in “Small Things Like These,” was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. The acting prizes in the Berlinale are open to all genders.

German director Matthias Glasner, who starred Lars Eidinger in his family drama “Dying,” took home the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. Author Oksana Zabuzhko of Ukraine mentioned the violence in her native country when she announced the prize, pointing out that this family drama did a good job of examining the “lack of empathy,” which she claimed was the source of all conflicts.

Cinematographer Martin Gschlacht won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for his camera work on the psychological drama “The Devil’s Bath,” which was helmed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, two Austrian filmmakers.

A Prize was given to a Documentary About Palestine-Israel

The announcement of the winner of the Best Documentary prize, “No Other Land,” a movie that follows the destruction of a West Bank hamlet by Jewish armed settlers and Israeli army, provided another powerful political moment during the awards ceremony.

A team of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers presented the film, which was shown in the Panorama sidebar of the festival. Israeli Yuval Abraham and Palestinian Basel Adra accepted the medal on behalf of the collective and urged Germany “to respect the UN calls and stop sending weapons to Israel.”

Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, who directed this final festival, also urged Hamas to free all hostages and implored Israel to “do everything possible to avoid victims” during the gala’s inauguration.