'' The White Ribbon '' is a 2009 black-and-white German-language drama film written and directed by Michael Haneke . '' Das weiße Band , Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte '' ( literally , " The White Ribbon , a German Children 's Story " ) darkly depicts society and family in a northern German village just before World War I and , according to Haneke , " is about the roots of evil . Whether it ’s religious or political terrorism , it ’s the same thing . " The film premiered at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May 2009 where it won the Palme d'Or , followed by positive reviews and several other major awards , including the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film . The film also received two nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2009 : Best Foreign Language Film ( representing Germany ) and Best Cinematography ( Christian Berger )
2010 Golden Globe Award
67th Golden Globe Awards
The White Ribbon