ISRAELI director Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms won the top award at this year’s Berlinale on Saturday. Synonyms follows an ex-Israeli soldier who rejects his nationality as he moves to France to start a new life and find his true identity.

Shaking the boundaries of storytelling, with a sharp sense of humour and a subtle political message, it is a startlingly original anti-war movie that could be considered controversial, even “scandalous” in Israel and France as it courageously skewers stereotypes prevailing in both nations.

The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize went to Francois Ozon’s By the Grace of God, a fact-based account of the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal behind the ongoing trial of Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon.

Ozon goes beyond the newspaper headlines and magnificently brings the reality of the scandal back to life. It is a film which stays with you — one of the many joys of a film which conceals rewarding depths beneath its surface.