Documentary Fire at Sea wins Golden Bear in 66th Berlinale

Italian director Gianfranco Rosi (L) holds the trophy of Golden Bear for Best Film as he speaks to Jury president Meryl Streep during the awards ceremony of the 66th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, Feb 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

With this documentary film, the audience could see that the Lampedusa island has become a metaphor for the flight of refugees to Europe, and the hopes, hardship and fate of hundreds of thousands of emigrants.

Fire at Sea won warm applause and cheers after its press screening just a week ago.

"The film is the testimony of the tragedy occurred in front of us," said Rosi at a press conference, "I think we are all responsible for this tragedy. This may be one of the greatest tragedy the world is experiencing after the Jewish Holocaust."

A film review from The Guardian said: "Italian director Gianfranco Rosi creates an unsentimental documentary about the carnage and despair as Lampedusans struggle to deal with desperate refugees."