Winterbottom A Winner

Beating off such high-profile favourites as The Hours and Adaptation, Brit director Michael Winterbottom and his micro-budget flick In This World was awarded the Golden Bear gong at the Berlin Film Festival this weekend, topping off one of the most politically charged festivals in recent memory. George Clooney, Spike Lee and Edward Norton were among the many filmmakers who took the opportunity of the Berlinale to voice their opposition to the US-led war against Iraq and the choice of Winterbottom's film for top prize only made the festival's political comment more pointed. Using the digital technology he perfected in 24 Hour Party People, Winterbottom's tale gives a human face to the refugees so vilified by the western press, by following two Afghani boys as they make their way across Europe to find a better life in Britain. Filmed in convincing documentary style, Winterbottom not only emphasises the courage and determination of the two boys but highlights the terrible cost of their journey. U.S. movies, nevertheless, went off with three of the top five awards. Charlie Kaufmann's characteristically nutty Adaptation won the Jury Grand Prix while the feminine trio of Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore all went home with the Best Actress award for their roles in The Hours and Sam Rockwell got the Best Actor gong for his performance in George Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.