Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi's Taxi wins Golden Bear award
Ban on travel prevents director Jafar Panahi from receiving Golden Bear for Taxi in person
Banned Iranian director Jafar Panahi's Taxi, which shows a cabby driving an odd assortment of people around Tehran but is really a condemnation of censorship, has won the Golden Bear for best film at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The award, which the director was not in Berlin to accept, was hailed by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as "an important sign for the freedom of art".
On an Instagram account said to be Panahi's, Iranian journalists at a post-awards news conference said he had posted a message in Farsi saying: "This is an important artistic and political acknowledgement of the film that makes me very proud."
At the news conference, the Golden Bear was placed on its own for cameras, with no-one holding it.
The look at life and filmmaking in Iran, shot from the interior of a taxi with the director at the wheel, was shown despite Tehran's ban on Panahi.
"He created a love letter to cinema, his film is filled with love for his art, his community, his country and his audience," said director Darren Aronofsky, head of the prize jury.