In what the film trade media described as a decision that surprised everyone except the jury, the Berlin Film Festival's principal prize, the Golden Bear, was awarded last weekend to U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, British opera director Mark Dornford- May's transposition of Bizet's Carmen to a present- day South African township. The musical is performed entirely in the local Xhosa language.

Even more eyebrow-raising was the news that Heights, a US indie first shown at Sundance last month, was pulled from the official selection at Berlin just hours before the festival started because star Glenn Close was unable to attend the festival. Chris Terrio, who directed Heights, said he was set to travel to Berlin with the other key members of the cast (Jesse Bradford, Elizabeth Banks and James Marsden) but that Close had to attend to family matters.

The film's producer, Ismail Merchant, best known for producing James Ivory's movies, said that he was given a six-hour deadline to confirm if Close would turn up, or the film would be withdrawn. The demand left him "angry and outraged," he says.

"If an actor has a chance of working, she has to work. Glenn is so supportive of the film, but she also has a commitment to her TV series (The Shield) and to her family. To behave like this, to threaten us, should not be allowed."