The Berlin Film Festival 2024 is upon us, where a host of filmmakers will debut their films in hopes of winning the Golden Bear Award for the best movie.
Hollywood star Lupita Nyong’o will be the lead judge for the award alongside a host of others, with 20 films vying for the main award of the night following in the footsteps of 2023 winner “On The Adamant”.
We’ll take a look at the market for the award and provide you with our best free entertainment betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash.
| Berlin Film Festival 2024 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pepe | +300 | +250 | +300 |
| Black Tea | +400 | +350 | +350 |
| Shambhala | +450 | +475 | +500 |
| Dahomey | +700 | +650 | +700 |
| My Favourite Cake | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| A Traveler's Needs | +900 | +900 | +950 |
| Who Do I Belong To? | +900 | +1000 | +1000 |
Below you’ll find a list of the favorites to win the Golden Bear Award at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival.
This film is all about a dead hippopotamus, who was owned by legendary drug lord Pablo Escobar and became the first one ever killed in the Americas, who the Colombian press named Pepe. No, you aren’t losing your mind.
In fact, four hippos were kept by the late Columbian drug lord in the late 1970s. Upon his death in 1993, the “cocaine hippos” were allowed to wander his unattended estate; and by 2019 their population had grown to approximately one hundred, which caused a threat to the flora and fauna, as well as the human population in the area.
Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias is the man who put this film together, and when weird meets wonderful on cinema screens it’s usually what creates magic the most.
However, this one may be rather difficult to follow for people who have no idea about the back-story and the fact it’s installed as the favorite is quite puzzling. This is a bet to pass on for sure.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
This film has a great resemblance to classic “Past Lives”, and there is every chance that it could pull in excited movie-watchers in a similar way to how “Celine’s Song” did during the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.
Abderrahmane Sissako’s film follows Aya, a woman from the Ivory Coast who says “no” on her wedding day. She decides to emigrate to China, where she falls in love with Cai, the owner of a tea boutique. From there you can imagine plenty of culture clashes, obnoxious takes from outsiders in the relationship and a romance story that always does well on the big screen.
Sissako has previously had major success with “Timbuktu”, which he saw nominated for an Academy Award, and he knows how to make a great movie that connects with it’s audience. This is a solid bet at +400.
Berlinale is famed not only for its narrative features but also for its fantastic selection of international documentaries, and that’s where “Dahomey” comes into contention in 2024.
Mati Diop, who previously created “Atlantics” has this as his latest documentary, which delves into the return of royal artifacts that were stolen from the Kingdom of Dahomey (Benin) by colonial France.
The film explores the political and societal challenges of a country that has been forced to rebuild in the absence of its historical artifacts and is sure to ignite the ongoing conversation around the ownership of stolen histories.
With such a powerful topic at the heart, it could very well tug on the heart strings and with Lupita Nyongo’o the lead judge, she could well side with this. At +700, this is a dark horse to get the nod and claim the award.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
One title of note in competition this year is My Favourite Cake, by Iranian directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha.
Their last collaboration was the excellent “Ballad Of A White Cow”, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2021 and won critical acclaim. If this film manages to have half as much of an effect on people’s emotions, then it will be something quite spectacular.
My Favourite Cake sees a lonely 70-year-old woman deciding to break from her solitary routine and revitalize her love life, in a country where women’s rights are heavily restricted.
Iran’s hard-line Islamist authorities are believed to have been angered by the film, leading to the filmmaking pair being banned from travel by Iranian authorities, which has given it added attention.
The Berlinale has been vocal in demanding that Iranian authorities to drop all charges and lift their travel ban but so far that hasn’t happened. The fact that the Berlinale has chosen this film sends a strong message, as the festival is known for its political leanings and giving a platform to voices facing political oppression.
Don’t be surprised to see a statement decision made, and My Favourite Cake to be crowned the winner as a result.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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