After two Corona years, which had a strong impact on the film industry, the Berlinale is back on the scene. The German capital vibrated to the rhythm of the international film festival between February 16 and 26.

With the American actress Kristen Stewart, the Berlinale was once again able to secure the services of a high-level jury president. 19 films were in competition for this year’s Golden Bear and a total of 287 films from 67 countries were presented in the different sections of the program until February 26. 

Kristen Stewart and her jury awarded the prizes to the best films in competition on Saturday, February 25, 2023. This year, Sur l’Adamant by Nicolas Philibert won the Golden Bear, while The Red Sky (Roter Himmel) by German director Christian Petzold won the Silver Bear – Grand Jury Prize.

Despite the fact that no African film was in competition, the public was pleased to discover the feature film of the Burkinabe director Apolline TRAORÉ, whose film Sira was screened in the Panorama section, where it was presented in world premiere.

The Ambassador of Cameroon in Berlin, His Excellency Mr. Victor NDOCKI was, along with his counterpart from Burkina Faso, one of the guests of honor at the premiere of Sira, whose main theme is the resilience of the people of the Sahel in the face of the various terrorist attacks that the sub-region is undergoing. 

The public, who came in great numbers to this highly appreciated world premiere, exchanged at length with the film crew, the actresses and actors and the producer Apolline TRAORE, who received the Panorama Audience Award at the Berlinale 2023 for her film.