Richard Linklater has been having a good Berlin International Film Festival, The Hollywood Reporter said.

First, his latest movie, Before Midnight starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, was critically praised in its out of Competition bow here and sold out worldwide for IM Global.

And on Monday, February 11 night, the Berlin festival honored Linklater with a surprise Berlinale Camera, the festival's lifetime achievement award.

Linklater has firm ties to the Berlinale, having won the best directing Silver Bear here in 1995 for Before Sunrise.

Its sequel, Before Sunset, screened in Berlin in 2004, and Linklater presented the comedy Fast Food Nation here in 2007 as part of the festival's Culinary Cinema section.