In a level playing field any title can be a surprise and such was the case with the announcement of the 2008 Golden Bear winner at the Berlin Film Festival: Brazil’s Tropa de elite (The Elite Squad) from director José Padilha. The festival’s jury, headed by Greek-French veteran director Costa-Gavras, gave the Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear to the US documentary Standard Operating Procedure by Errol Morris, with the Best Director Silver Bear and the Best Music Silver Bear going to another US production: P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. The only European winner among this year’s honourees was UK actress Sally Hawkins for her performance in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky.

The male equivalent of the prize, the Best Actor Silver Bear, went to Reza Najie for his role in Avaze Gonjeshk-ha (The Song of Sparrows) from director Majid Majidi, while the Best Script Silver Bear went to Chinese film Zuo You (In Love We Trust) from director Wang Xiaoshuai.