Bear in Mind: The Berlin Film Festival 2009

The Best Documentary
Teddy went to
Fig Trees,

a literally operatic look at AIDS activists Tim McCaskell and
Zackie Achmat by Canada's John Greyson. Legendary American
experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer won Best Short for
A Horse Is Not a Metaphor,

"an intimate visual essay about her journey to survive
ovarian cancer." And the Siegessäule Magazine
Readers' Award went to director Yun Suh's
City of Borders,

which follows Israeli and Palestinian queers as they struggle
for love and equality -- and occasionally "fuck the
enemy."

Berlin's out mayor
Klaus Wowereit (who looks like a missing Baldwin brother) made
a Teddys appearance, during which he stressed the importance of
films like
City of Borders,

which bring to light queer life and rights struggles in regions
where discrimination, homophobic violence, and dark ages-level
attitudes towards gays still run rampant, and praised the
legacy and accomplishments of Harvey Milk.