MUMBAI: Child‘s Pose, a Romanian drama about a domineering mother using her social position to try to save her son from jail, has won the Golden Bear for best film at the recently concluded Berlin Film Festival.

The film directed by Calin Peter Netzer and starring Luminita Gheorghiu in the central role, had been among the favourites for the coveted prize.

In Child‘s Pose, Gheorghiu shines as the wealthy 60-year-old Cornelia who attempts to buy off the poor family of a boy killed by her son in a road accident.

"I‘m still shell-shocked," Netzer reportedly told the press after she picked the award. "I haven‘t quite woken up to this new reality. It will probably take a couple of days for it to sink in."

The veteran has actress also appeared in Cristian Mungiu‘s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, an abortion drama that put Romanian cinema firmly on the international map when it won the Palme d‘Or at the Cannes film festival in 2007.

The big surprise on the night was the best actor award for Nazif Mujic, a Bosnian Roma who had to be convinced to play himself in "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker" about his own experiences on the fringes of society.

The film, a docu-drama directed by Danis Tanovic and made for 30,000 euros captured hearts in Berlin for its straightforward storytelling and moving account of the impoverished Mujic‘s desperate attempts to pay for his wife‘s emergency operation.

The awards ceremony brought to a close the 11-day cinema showcase, where hundreds of films were screened across Berlin.