‘Das Weisse Band’ wins Golden Globe

The black-and-white film about strange occurrences in a village in the months leading up to World War I was directed by Austrian Michael Haneke, who was on hand to receive the award. The film was up against stiff competition, including “Broken Embraces” form Spain, directed by previous Oscar winner Pedro Almodóvar.

Christoph Waltz’s unforgettable turn as Col. Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s Berlin-made blockbuster “Inglourious Basterds” earned him the Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actor in the film categories. When accepting the award, the Austrian actor thanked Tarantino, saying “He took my modest little worldand with the power of his talent and his words, he flung it into orbit. A dizzying experience.”

James Cameron’s epic, “Avatar” took home top honours, beating out “Up in the Air” and “Inglourious Basterds” in the best motion picture and best director categories.

“Das Weisse Band” is also Germany’s entry in the same category for the Academy Awards. The film won big at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, taking home three awards, including the Golden Palm.