The head of the jury was US director Darren Aronofsky, who called the film 'a love letter to cinema' and praised the 'incredible collection' of 19 movies that competed for the Golden Bear. One of the passengers was his young niece, Hana (pictured above), who came to Berlin to accept the award on her uncle's behalf. Panahi's film 'Taxi' follows its director around in a Tehran taxi, learning the stories of his diverse passengers, who are not actors and remain anonymous. Officials there have also issued him a 20-year ban on making movies for 'making propaganda' - a block he has defied. The acclaimed 54-year-old director is not allowed to leave Iran.
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was awarded the Golden Bear, the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, but he wasn't on hand to collect it.
