Law takes Berlin prize

Alex Law Kai-yui's Echoes of the Rainbow has taken the Crystal Bear for best feature film in the Generation category, at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. It is the first time a Hong Kong film has won the category since it began in 1978, the South China Morning Post reported.

The director said the movie is based on his experiences growing up in Hong Kong in the 1960s.

'We never complained back in those days. We just thought of how to overcome the obstacles we faced, or come up with an alternative solution,' Law said.

Law made the film for less than HK$12 million with his wife, producer Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting.

Based on Law's diaries, the film tells the heart-warming tale of a shoemaker and his family, as seen through the eyes of his eight-year-old son.

Law said he hopes to rekindle a positive spirit among today's youth, replacing what he called the 'negative energy haunting society'.