Jafar Panahi bags Golden Bear

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s Taxi has won the top Golden Bear prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Panahi has been unable to leave Iran after his conviction on charges of “making propaganda” against the country’s ruling system. Authorities imposed a 20-year filmmaking ban on Panahi in 2010, but he has continued to make movies.

The grand jury prize, which comes with a runner-up Silver Bear, went to Chilean director Pablo Larrain for his movie The Club.

The best actor and best actress awards went to Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling, who play a couple in British director Andrew Haigh’s drama 45 Years.

The jury awarded two best director honours: to Romania’s Radu Jude for Aferim! and to Malgorzata Szumowska of Poland for Body.