Chinese film ‘Black Coal, Thin Ice’ wins best film award at Berlin Film Festival

The Chinese film noir "Bai Ri Yan Huo" (Black Coal, Thin Ice), directed by Diao Yinan, won the Golden Bear for best picture at the 64th Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Saturday (local time).

Chinese actor Liao Fan received the Silver Bear for best actor for his role in “Black Coal, Thin Ice,” while the Silver Bear for best actress went to Haru Kuroki for "The Little House."

“Black Coal, Thin Ice,” is a detective thriller in which Liao plays the role of a policeman investigating a mysterious series of killings.

Documentary films directed by two South Korean directors shared the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) prize for best Asian piece. They are "A Dream of Iron" by Park Kyung-kun and "Non-fiction Diary" by Chung Yun-suk.

NETPAC says a yardstick for quality was necessary that matched the competitive spirit fuelling the creative urges of young Asian filmmakers. Currently, the NETPAC award is given at 28 international film festivals.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com