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Haneke’s film beat out strong contenders
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Michael Haneke’s Cache (Hidden) has been named best movie at the 18th European Film Awards in Berlin.
Frenchman Daniel Auteuil, who starred in the film, won best actor, while Austria’s Haneke took the prize for best director.
The French-Austrian-German-Italian co-production is a cryptic and fast-moving thriller.
Germany’s Julia Jentsch was named best actress and Scotland’s Sir Sean Connery received a lifetime achievement award.
Haneke’s film beat out strong contenders, including Cannes festival winner The Child.
The Austrian director also won the directing prize at Cannes in May for his film.
Good Night, and Good Luck, directed and co-written by Hollywood star George Clooney, who also co-stars in the film, was named best non-European film.
The best screenplay award was taken by Hany Abu-Assad and Bero Beyer for Paradise Now, a film providing an insight into what drives Palestinian suicide bombers.
Sir Sean ‘honoured’
Sir Sean collected a lifetime achievement prize for his career spanning more than 50 years.
Sir Sean Connery appeared in seven Bond films
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“I am very honoured,” the 75-year-old actor said.
He said he wished he could be accepting the prize as if “Scotland was independent and had a voice in Europe, so you’re stuck with me for the moment”.
Sir Sean has appeared in more than 70 films including playing the iconic Bond character seven times.
Among his film credits are A Bridge Too Far, Marnie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Name of the Rose, working with many of the great directors including Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Richard Attenborough and Steven Spielberg.
He won a best supporting actor Oscar in 1988 for his role in The Untouchables.
He was knighted by the Queen in 2002 for his services to film.
But it is his years playing James Bond that he is probably best remembered, first taking on the role in 1962 in Dr No and bowing out in 1983 in Never Say Never Again.
Sir Sean has given his backing to the latest actor to take on the Bond mantle, Daniel Craig, calling him a “terrific choice”.