48th Berlin International Film Festival
The 48th International Film Festival Berlin took place until February 22, 1998 by February 11.
The preparation for the 48th Berlin International Film Festival was marked by refusals and awkward negotiations for films for the competition. First, Clint Eastwood said from the festival. For his film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the producers preferred to make the film without festival appearance in the movie theaters. Life is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni should have its world premiere in competition. Through negotiations hesitant Benigni decided to show the film at the film festival of Cannes 1998. There the film then began his way to global success. Political entanglements there was to the movie Kundun by Martin Scorsese. The Festival and Scorsese wanted to show the film in the competition. Chinese protests led then to the fact that they decided against the film.
Section competition
The following films lined up this year in the official competition program the judgment of the international jury:
International Jury
President of the Jury was the British actor Ben Kingsley. Under his leadership, the following members of the jury selected the winners: Senta Berger, Li Cheuk -to, Leslie Cheung, Hector Olivera, Helmut Dietl, Brigitte Roüan, Annette Insdorf, Maja Turovskaya, Maurizio Nichetti and Michael William Jones.
Award winners
- Golden Bear: The Golden Bear went this year to the Brazilian film Central Station by Walter Salles.
- Silver Bears were awarded in the following categories: The jury decided to award a Silver Bear at Alain Resnais for his life's work this year.
- Best Director: Neil Jordan's The Butcher Boy
- Best Actress: Fernanda Montenegro for Central Station
- Best Actor: Samuel L. Jackson in Jackie Brown
- Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement to Matt Damon for his screenplay for Good Will Hunting
- Special Jury Prize to Barry Levinson for Wag the Dog
Panorama section
Outstanding films in the Panorama program: Abre los ojos by Alejandro Amenábar, Sue Amos Kollek, Le Gone du Chaaba by Christophe Ruggia and fintar o Destino by Fernando Vendrell. A special "Teddy Award" this year, the actor Richard O'Brien.
Honorary Golden Bear
A Gold Ehrenbär for her life's work was the French actress Catherine Deneuve.
Other winners
- Crystal Bear: Where the elephant sitting by Mark Lowenthal
- Special Teddy Award: Richard O'Brien
- FIPRESCI Prize (Competition): Nobuhiko Obayashi of Sada
- FIPRESCI Prize (Forum): Shivrei T'munot Yerushalayim by Ron Havilio
- FIPRESCI Prize (Panorama ): Sue - A woman in New York by Amos Kollek
- Alfred Bauer Prize: Hold You Tight by Stanley Kwan
- The Blue Angel: Kalman's secret by Jeroen Krabbé
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Competition): Central Station by Walter Salles
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Forum): Wang hsiang Hsu Hsiao- ming
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury ( Panorama): Sue - A woman in New York by Amos Kollek
- UNICEF Award ( children's film festival): Danny's test of courage by Bob Swaim
- Caligari Film Prize (Forum): Kasaba of Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Wolfgang Staudte Price (Forum): Xiao Wu Zhang Ke Jia
Retrospective
The retrospective of the Berlinale is dedicated to the brothers Robert and Curt Siodmak. Curt Siodmak, the " Berlinale Camera " award for his life's work.