BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL AWARD

South African film wins at Berlin

Actors were recruited from talent in the townships. A South African reworking of the opera Carmen has won the top award at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival. U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha, which moved Georges Bizet's story to a township and translated the lyrics into Xhosa, was a surprise winner of the Golden Bear.
Based on a theatre show, it is the first feature film from British opera director Mark Dornford-May. Lou Taylor Pucci won best actor for Thumbsucker while Julia Jentsch was named best actress for Sophie Scholl. The awards will be handed out on Saturday at a ceremony that will bring the 10-day festival - one of the most prestigious after Cannes - to a close.