A Golden Bear for Hamburg

The world premiere ofThere is no evil had to take place on Friday evening at the Berlinale without its Director Mohammad Rasoulof. The filmmaker, who was sentenced in his home country last year, is still not allowed to leave Iran. Rasoulof has lived in Hamburg since 2012.

Dr Carsten BrosdaSenator for Culture and Media: "What a great and well-deserved award for Mohammad Rasoulof and what a success for Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, which can once again celebrate a Berlinale Bear for a film it has supported. The award also underlines how political the film and the Berlinale are. Hopefully Rasoulof will soon be able to pick up the Bear himself. I very much hope that he will be allowed to leave Iran for his adopted home of Hamburg as soon as possible. The award shows that the world continues to look at Rasoulof and that his work and his thoughts cannot be locked away. The award reminds us how fragile the freedom of art is and how much we have to take care of it. Here in our country too!"

Helge AlbersCEO of Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein: "With the Golden Bear for Mohammad Rasoulof, the Berlinale jury has honoured an outstanding film by one of the most relevant Directors of our time. But it has also sent an important signal - in favour of artistic freedom and against the suppression of independent filmmakers. We want Rasoulof to be able to return to Hamburg soon and hope that he will be able to pursue his work without restrictions in the future. Today, however, the joy for this award takes centre stage! Our congratulations also go to Tamtam Film and the filmmaker Natalija Yefimkina for the award to one of the most warm-hearted films of the Berlinale."

More about the films: In "There is no evil", the Directors explores in four episodes the question of the extent to which people in an authoritarian regime are responsible for their own actions, regardless of what they do to others. The German Executive Producer is Hamburg-based Cosmopol Film.

In the Documentary "Garage People" by Natalija Yefimkina (Tamtam Film, Hamburg), they extend into infinity: Garages, behind whose rusty gates everything but cars can be found. They are refuges for Russian men, a refuge from a bleak everyday life and a projection surface for big dreams. The film screened at the Berlinale in the "Perspektive Deutsches Kino" section.

Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig Holstein was represented at the Berlinale 2020 with seven world premieres. A further 12 films were screened in the "LOLA@Berlinale" series.

More about the prices: The Golden Bear is awarded to the best feature film in the international competition at the Berlin International Film Festival. The Golden Bear is therefore considered the most important award of the festival.

The DEFA Foundation honours the film director Heiner Carow with the Heiner Carow Prize. The prize is awarded to a German feature, documentary or essay film from the Panorama section. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros. A three-member jury, which changes annually, decides on the award.

More about Mohammad Rasoulof: Mohammad Rasoulof has lived in Hamburg since 2012. In September 2017, Iranian authorities confiscated Rasoulof's passport when he returned to Tehran from the Telluride Film Festival. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards accused him of "jeopardising national security" and "propaganda against the Islamic government". This propaganda accusation led to a conviction by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in mid-September 2019. Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to one year in prison and a two-year travel ban. He was also banned from membership of political and social organisations.

Mohammad Rasoulof was a guest at Filmfest Hamburg for the first time in 2005 and has been on friendly terms with the festival ever since. His film "A Man of Integrity" was awarded the main prize in the "Un Certain Regard" section in Cannes in 2017. At Filmfest Hamburg 2019, the film "The Red Coupé" by Ashkan Najafi, the script was written by Mohammad Rasoulof, who also co-produced the film. Both films were supported by the FFHSH.