Special: 59th Berlin International Film Festival

    BERLIN, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- "Please Say Something," directed by David O Reilly of Ireland, won the Golden Bear for short film on Wednesday on the 59th international film festival Berlin, or the Berlinale.

    "The film gave us lots of emotion, sensitivity and much to think about. A very humane story. With characters who made us laugh and feel sad at the same time," said the jury in a statement.

    The Silver Bear was taken by "Jade" by Daniel Elliott from Britain. The jury thought it tells a subtle story which can capture audience from its innocent beginning till its open end.

    "The Illusion" directed by Susana Barriga of Cuba won the DAAD Short Film Prize and "Die Leiden des Herrn Karpf. Der Geburtstag" by Lola Randl of Germany won Berlinale Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards 2009.

    The jury said "The Illusion" is a very personal form of cinema, which succeeds in painting an autobiographical landscape of loss, while "Die Leiden des Herrn Karpf. Der Geburtstag" contains a way of acting which is both intelligent and simple and presents individual problems in an artistic form.

    The 59th Berlinale has just passed its half course, while 270,000 tickets have been already sold -- a sensational record in the Berlinale's 59-year history. By comparison, last year's total ticket sales were 240,000.

    "The audience loves the Berlinale -- even its more difficult, unconventional films," says festival director Dieter Kosslick with satisfaction.