Israeli director wins Berlin Film Festival’s top gong

Director Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms, a film following a young Israeli man who uproots himself to France and tries to immerse himself in his new country, has won the Berlin International Film Festival’s top Golden Bear award.

The film was chosen from a field of 16 movies competing at the first of the year’s major European film festivals.

Wang Jingchun was named best actor for his role in Wang Xiaoshuai’s So Long, My Son, a Chinese family saga.

Best actress went to Yong Mei for her part in the same film.

The best director prize went to Germany’s Angela Schanelec for I Was at Home, But.