Norwegian drama 'Dreams (Sex Love)' takes top prize at the Berlin Film Festival

BERLIN (AP) — A Norwegian film about love, desire and self-discovery won top honors at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday.

A jury headed by American director Todd Haynes awarded the Golden Bear trophy to “Dreams (Sex Love)” by director Dag Johan Haugerud.

Haynes called it a “meditation on love” that “cuts you to the quick with its keen intelligence.”

The film focuses on a teenager played by Ella Øverbyer, infatuated with her female French teacher, and the reactions of her mother and grandmother when they discover her private writings. It’s the third part of a trilogy Haugerud has completed in the past year. “Sex” premiered at Berlin in 2024, and “Love” was screened at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.

The runner-up Silver Bear prize went to Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro’s dystopian drama “The Blue Trail.” Argentine director Ivan Fund’s rural saga “The Message” won the third-place Jury Prize.

The best director prize went to Huo Meng for “Living the Land,” set in fast-changing 1990s China.

Rose Byrne was named best performer for her role as an overwhelmed mother in the Mary Bronstein-directed “If I had Legs, I’d Kick You.” Andrew Scott won the supporting performer trophy for playing composer Richard Rodgers in Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon.”

The climax of the festival known as the Berlinale came on the eve of Germany’s parliamentary elections after a campaign dominated by migration and the economy.

The national election is being held seven months early, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition collapsed in a dispute about how to revitalize the country’s economy.

Efforts to curb migration have emerged as a central issue in the campaign — along with the question of how to handle the challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany, which appears to be on course for its strongest national election result yet.

Dag Johan Haugerud, winner of the Golden Bear for best film for 'Dreams (Sex Love)', poses for photographers at the winners photo call during the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP).

Mexican director Ernesto Martinez Bucio, right, and producer Alejandro Duran pose with a viewfinder as part of the Best First Feature Award during the winner's photocall at the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Ronny Hartmann/Pool via AP)

Mexican director Ernesto Martinez Bucio poses with a viewfinder as part of the Best First Feature Award during the winner's photocall at the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Ronny Hartmann/Pool via AP)

Dag Johan Haugerud, winner of the Golden Bear for best film for 'Dreams (Sex Love)', poses for photographers at the winners photo call during the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP).

Dag Johan Haugerud, winner of the Golden Bear for best film for 'Dreams (Sex Love)', poses for photographers at the winners photo call during the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP).

Dag Johan Haugerud, winner of the Golden Bear for best film for 'Dreams (Sex Love)', poses for photographers at the winners photo call during the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP).

Venezuelan director Ivan Fund poses with the Silver Bear Jury Prize during the winner's photocall at the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Ronny Hartmann/Pool via AP)

US director Brandon Kramer, right, and US director Lance Kramer pose with the Berlinale Documentary Award during the winner's photocall at the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Ronny Hartmann/Pool via AP)

Yngve Saether, from left, Dag Johan Haugerud and Hege Hauff Hvattum, winners of the Golden Bear for best film for 'Dreams (Sex Love)', pose for photographers at the winners photo call during the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP).

Hege Hauff Hvattum, winner of the Golden Bear for best film for 'Dreams (Sex Love)', poses for photographers at the winners photo call during the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP).

Yngve Saether, from left, Dag Johan Haugerud and Hege Hauff Hvattum, winners of the Golden Bear for best film for 'Dreams (Sex Love)', pose for photographers at the winners photo call during the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP).

Ivan Fund accepts the Silver Bear jury prize for the film 'The Message' during the awards ceremony at the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP).

Australian actress Rose Byrne poses with the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance award during the winner's photocall at the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Ronny Hartmann/Pool via AP)

BRUSSELS (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stepped down temporarily pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, the court announced Friday.

Karim Khan has categorically denied accusations that he tried for more than a year to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship and groped her against her will.

The ICC's announcement was welcomed by women's rights groups, who had called for Khan to step down after the allegations emerged last year.

“In any other professional setting, someone facing such serious allegations would have been expected to step down months ago,” said Eimear Shine, a spokesperson for The Hague-based Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice.

An investigation by The Associated Press last year found that two court employees, in whom the alleged victim confided, reported the alleged misconduct in May 2024 to the court’s independent watchdog. That was a few weeks before Khan sought arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, his defense minister and three Hamas leaders on war crimes charges.

The watchdog said it interviewed the woman and ended its inquiry after five days when she opted against filing a formal complaint. Khan himself wasn’t questioned at the time.

While the watchdog could not determine wrongdoing, it nonetheless urged Khan in a memo to minimize contact with the woman to protect the rights of all involved and safeguard the court’s integrity.

The ICC statement on Friday said Khan “communicated his decision to take leave until the end” of an external investigation being carried by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the U.N. internal watchdog.

The court’s deputy prosecutors will be in charge of managing the prosecutor’s office while Khan is on leave, the statement said.

The work of the court will continue, according to Danya Chaikel, the ICC representative from the International Federation for Human Rights. “The cases and investigations have been carried out by professionals,” she told the AP.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration filed sanctions against Khan in February in relation to his Israel warrants. The sanctions are hampering work on a broad array of investigations at the court.

FILE - Karim Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court looks up prior to a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands, July 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)