(dpa) - Lemon Tree from Israeli director Eran Riklis won the audience prize for one of the Berlin Film Festival's main sections Saturday as part of the buildup to the awarding of the Berlinale's top honours at a Hollywood-style gala.
Riklis' film was included in the Berlinale's main competition but was screened in the festival's Panorama section, which showcases independent and art-house cinema.
While there is no official tribute, the Berlinale this year commemorated the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel by showing a raft of new movies from Israeli directors.
In Riklis' Lemon Tree, Salma, the Palestinian owner of a lemon grove, discovers that her new neighbour is the Israeli defence minister. This results in the Israeli authorities ordering that the lemon trees be removed because they represent a security threat.
Far from being intimidated, Salma, who is played by Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass, launches a court action to save her lemon trees.
"It's a film about people who are trapped in a political situation," said Riklis.
Movie-goers attending the Berlin Film Festival were asked to cast their votes for the films screened in the Panorama section, which screened a total of 52 feature films. Over 20,000 votes were cast.