The 28th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 February to 5 March 1978. Director Wolf Donner successfully managed to shift the festival's date from June to February, a change which has remained ever since. This was the first year the festival was held in February. The festival opened with Opening Night by John Cassavetes and closed with Steven Spielberg's out of competition film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
The jury awarded the Golden Bear to Spain for its contribution to the festival. The three Spanish films which were screened at the festival and won it were short film Ascensor directed by Tomás Muñoz and feature films What Max Said by Emilio Martínez Lázaro and Las truchas by José Luis García Sánchez.
A new section for children was introduced at the festival. The Part 2 of the retrospective dedicated to West German actress Marlene Dietrich was shown at the festival, as well as the retrospective called "Censorship – Banned German Films 1933-1945".
Juries
The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival:
Main Competition Patricia Highsmith, American writer - Jury President Sergio Leone, Italian filmmaker and producer Theodoros Angelopoulos, Greek filmmaker and producer Jacques Rozier, French filmmaker Konrad Wolf, East-German filmmaker Frieda Grafe, West-German essayist and film critic Antonio Eceiza, Spanish filmmaker Ana Carolina Teixeira Soares, Brazilian filmmaker Larisa Shepitko, Soviet filmmaker
Official Sections
Main Competition The following films were selected to compete for the Golden Bear award: English title Original title Director(s) Production CountryAdvantageАвантаж Georgi DjulgerovBulgariaA Night Full of RainLa fine del mondo nel nostro solito letto in una notte piena di pioggiaLina WertmüllerItaly, United StatesAscensorTomás MuñozSpainThe Brothers LionheartBröderna LejonhjärtaOlle HellbomSwedenThe Chess PlayersShatranj Ke KhilariSatyajit RayIndiaCo jsme udělali slepicímJosef Hekrdle and Vladimír JiránekCzechoslovakiaThe ContraptionJames DeardenUnited KingdomDeath of a PresidentŚmierć prezydentaJerzy KawalerowiczPolandThe Dog Who Loved TrainsPas koji je voleo vozoveGoran PaskaljevićYugoslaviaThe FallA QuedaRuy Guerra and Nelson XavierBrazilThe Far Road遠い一本の道 Sachiko HidariJapanFlaming HeartsFlammende HerzenWalter Bockmayer and Rolf BührmannWest GermanyGermany in AutumnDeutschland im Herbst Alf Brustellin, Hans Peter Cloos, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Alexander Kluge, Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus, Maximiliane Mainka, Edgar Reitz, Katja Rupé, Volker Schlöndorff, Peter Schubert and Bernhard SinkelWest GermanyJörg Ratgeb – PainterJörg Ratgeb – MalerBernhard StephanEast GermanyLemon Popsicleאסקימו לימון Boaz DavidsonIsraelLone WolfБирю́к Roman BalayanSoviet UnionMoritz, Dear MoritzMoritz, lieber Moritz Hark BohmWest GermanyMy Father's Happy YearsApám néhány boldog éveSándor SimóHungaryOne Page of LoveUne page d'amour Maurice RabinowiczBelgium, FranceOpening NightJohn CassavetesUnited StatesOutrageous!Richard BennerCanadaPaper FlowersFlores de papelGabriel RetesMexicoRhinegoldRheingoldNiklaus SchillingWest GermanyThe Serpent's EggIngmar BergmanUnited States, West GermanyThe TeacherEl brigadistaOctavio CortázarCubaTroutLas truchas José Luis García SánchezSpainUne vieille soupièreMichel LonguetFranceWhat Max SaidLa palabras de MaxEmilio Martínez-LázaroSpain
Out of competition Close Encounters of the Third Kind, directed by Steven Spielberg (United States) I Am the Law, directed by Pasquale Squitieri (Italy) Sextette, directed by Ken Hughes (United States) The Last Wave, directed by Peter Weir (Australia)
Retrospective The following films were shown in the retrospective dedicated to Marlene Dietrich (Part 2): English title Original title Director(s) Production CountryAngelErnst LubitschUnited StatesBlack Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf HitlerLouis Clyde StoumenDesireFrank BorzageDestry Rides AgainGeorge MarshallThe Flame of New OrleansRené ClairThe Garden of AllahRichard BoleslawskiKismetWilliam DieterleLeap Into LifeDer Sprung ins LebenJohannes GuterGermanyThe Woman One Longs ForDie Frau, nach der man sich sehntCurtis BernhardtNo Highway in the SkyHenry KosterUnited KingdomRancho NotoriousFritz LangUnited StatesTouch of EvilOrson Welles
Official Awards The following prizes were awarded by the Jury: Golden Bear: What Max Said by Emilio Martínez Lázaro Las truchas by José Luis García Sánchez Ascensor by Tomás Muñoz (short film) Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize: A Queda by Ruy Guerra, Nelson Xavier Silver Bear for Best Director: Georgi Djulgerov for Advantage Silver Bear for Best Actress: Gena Rowlands for Opening Night Silver Bear for Best Actor: Craig Russell for Outrageous! Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution: Death of a President by Jerzy Kawalerowicz The Teacher by Octavio Cortázar Special Recognition: Germany in Autumn
Independent Awards
FIPRESCI Award My Father's Happy Years by Sándor Simó
References
External links 28th Berlin International Film Festival 1978 1978 Berlin International Film Festival Berlin International Film Festival:1978 at Internet Movie Database