Shea Glover in Crystal Lake von / by Jennifer Reeder © Jennifer Reeder
|
BERLIN - (Berlinale Film Festval) “Young
people world-wide are constantly confronted by dystopic realities not of their
own making,” says Maryanne Redpath, Head of
Generation. “In the diverse
films of this year’s programme we see them taking matters into their own
hands.”
The
selected films shed light on and challenge the nature of contradictions such as
being child-like and being an adult, what is forbidden and what is permitted or
the difference between subjective and objective reality.
Generation’s
short film programmes, five in total, also push formal and thematic boundaries
and challenge apparent oppositional relationships.
Themes such as friendship,
loss, gender roles, migration and prejudice find surprising expression in
documentary portraits, animated narratives and experimental trains of
thought.
Programme
Complete
A
total of 63 feature-length and short films produced or co-produced in 35
countries have been invited to participate in the two competitions
Generation
Kplus and
Generation 14plus. The programme was selected from around
2000 feature-length and short films submitted to
Generation this year,
which is more than in any year previously.
Generation
14plus
6A
–
Sweden
By
Peter Modestij
Bullying,
skipping school, violent outbursts: something’s gone wrong in the 6A class. But
are Denise and her friends really to blame for everything, the way most of the
parents believe? With impressive realism, the director observes a very
uncomfortable encounter with all involved, which ends up revealing the
psychological shortcomings of the adults more than
anything.
World
Premiere
Avant
les rues
(
Before the
Streets)
–
Canada
By
Chloé Leriche
Life
on the Atikamekw reservation in the Canadian province of Québec is tense and
young Shawnouk is stuck in a rut. When his situation escalates, he escapes to
the woods. Traditional rituals, fire and smoke, the old trees and the beats of
his ancestors come to the boy’s aid as he is forced to face up to himself. An
authentic and hopeful portrait, filmed in the language of the
Atikamekw.
World
Premiere
El
Soñador
(
The
Dreamer)
–
Peru
By
Adrián Saba
For
brief relief from his dreary existence as a petty criminal, Sebastián drifts off
into his dream-worlds. It’s only there that he can protect himself and his love
for Emilia and attempt to escape the real threats in his life. The boundaries
between reality and illusion become blurred by the increasing interaction of
light and colour compositions.
World
Premiere
Es
esmu šeit
(
Mellow
Mud)
–
Latvia
By
Renars Vimba
In
order not to lose their home, 17-year-old Raya and her little brother keep their
grandmother’s death a secret. Raya tries every trick in the book to make it seem
like she’s still alive, while at the same time fully indulging her feelings for
her English teacher. But in spite of her best efforts, things are getting out of
control. Raya hopes for help from her mother in far-off
London.
World
Premiere
Ma
Révolution
(
My
Revolution)
–
France
By
Ramzi Ben Sliman
The
Arab Spring is blossoming right in the middle of Paris. Marawann celebrates with
the singing and dancing immigrants from the Maghreb. The 15-year-old French
boy’s Tunisian roots never meant as much to him as they do at this moment.
Marawann’s got butterflies in his stomach, but it’s probably because of his
feelings for Sygrid.
International
Premiere
Royahaye
Dame Sobh
(
Starless
Dreams)
–
Iran
By
Mehrdad Oskouei
Murder
and theft, drug dealing and addiction: young lives marked by traumatic stories
lead to this Iranian “Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre” for girls. Some of
the girls feel more at home in prison than they did with their families. A rare
documentary glimpse inside a locked-up world and a respectful portrait of young
women struggling to recapture some sense of personal
dignity.
World
Premiere
Valderama
–
Iran
By
Abbas Amini
Who
is Valderama? The boy with the conspicuous curls and mischievous grin but
without parents or even an identity, at least as far as the authorities are
concerned, resolves to leave his hometown behind and escape to distant Tehran.
His desire for security and belonging keeps him going but he’s constantly in
trouble with the rules of society, religion and culture.
World
Premiere
Zhaleika
–
Germany
By
Eliza Petkova
For
Lora, growing up in a Bulgarian village is a mixture of monumental tedium and
hesitant desire. Her existence is determined by rigid religious and social
customs, until a radical break drives her to the borders of the small community
and beyond. The director captures the claustrophobia of a small town and the
vastness of a clever young woman’s emotional world in images which remain with
the viewer long after the credits have rolled.
World
premiere
Already
announced in the previous Press Release:
Ani
ve snu! (In Your Dreams!)
,
Czech
Republic / Slovakian Republic / Bulgaria, by Petr Oukropec –
WP
Born
to Dance
,
New Zealand, by Tammy Davis – EP
Girl
Asleep,
Australia, by Rosemary Myers – IP
Las
Plantas
(
Plants)
,
Chile,
by Roberto Doveris –
IP
Sairat
(
Wild),
India
,
by Nagraj Manjule – IP
Triapichniy
Soyuz
(
Rag
Union),
Russian
Federation
,
by Mikhail Mestetskiy – IP
What’s
in the Darkness
,
People’s Republic of China
,
by Yichun Wang – IP
Generation
Kplus
Jamais
contente
–
France
By
Emilie Deleuze
Aurore
may not get the best marks, but she’s certainly not dumb. She has a keen way of
observing and commenting on her surroundings – on her parents, the boys, her
French teacher and herself too. Defiantly stubborn, Aurore tests the boundaries
and discovers in the process that she can let off steam with music and that she
is not actually ‘frigid’. The film is based on the popular French trilogy of
adolescent novels “Le journal d’Aurore” and features Catherine Hiegel and Alex
Lutz.
World
Premiere
Little
Men
–
USA
By
Ira Sachs
Tony
quickly becomes best friends with Jake, who’s new in his Brooklyn neighbourhood.
Director
Ira Sachs (Teddy Award winner Berlinale
Panorama 2012:
Keep the Lights
On) tells the story of a young friendship at odds with the logic of the
adult world, with great empathy for his characters and a keen sense of social
inequality. Featuring
Jennifer
Ehle, Greg Kinnear and Alfred Molina.
International
Premiere
Mavi
Bisiklet
(
Blue
Bicycle)
– Turkey,
Germany
By
Ümet Köreken
12-year-old
Ali lives an austere life in the Anatolian countryside. He’s saving up his
hard-earned money for his big dream: a brand-new, blue bicycle. When Elfi, the
girl he is secretly in love with, becomes the victim of a great injustice at
school, Ali takes up the passionate fight for democracy and against a system
stuck in its ways.
World
Premiere
Ottaal
(
The Trap)
–
India
By
Jayaraj Rajashekaran Nair
8-year-old
Kuttappayi’s life seems blissful, though he’s still coping with the loss of his
parents. He spends his days living, fishing and laughing with his grandfather,
who tends to huge flocks of ducks, in a natural paradise of breath-taking
beauty. The boy dreams hopefully about his future and doesn’t suspect that he
will soon share the fate of the many millions of children around the world who
are still being forced into child labour.
International
Premiere
Rara
–
Chile, Argentina
By
Pepa San Martín
Being
interested in boys, thinking they’re stupid, being really close to your best
friend and keeping secrets from her, having trouble in school and having
annoying parents: these are the kind of problems a 13-year-old girl is faced
with. For Sara, all of that has nothing to do with the fact that her mother
lives together with another woman. Her father doesn’t see it that way though.
DAAD Short Film Award winner Pepa San Martín (
Berlinale Shorts 2011:
La Ducha) takes a real-life Chilean custody battle as the inspiration for
her feature-film debut.
World
Premiere
Solan
og Ludvig - Herfra til Flåklypa
(
Louis & Nolan
– The Big Cheeserace)
–
Norway
By
Rasmus Sivertsen
For
the cheeky little magpie Solan, there is much more at stake in the cheese race
than just personal honour. Together with his two teammates, he pulls up to the
starting line full of confidence and clever ideas. But the savvy members of the
opposing team, arch-rivals from the neighbouring town, are ready to use some
dirty tricks. With breakneck pacing and a lot of laughs, this lovingly-executed
clay animation demonstrates that life is not always about
winning.
International
Premiere
Woorideul
(
The World of
Us)
– Republic of
Korea
By
Yoon Ga-eun
Playing
alone in the summertime alleyways, the two 10-year-olds Sun and Jia forge a
tender bond of friendship. Alas, the turbulent social dynamics of their school
class threaten to break them apart. Crystal Bear winner Ga-eun Yoon (Berlinale
Generation Kplus 2014:
Sprout) returns with her feature-length
debut - a powerful but understated portrayal of the experience of a gentle young
girl which is nothing short of masterful.
World
Premiere
Already
announced in the previous Press Release:
ENTE
GUT! Mädchen allein zu Haus
(
Fortune
Favors the Brave)
, Germany,
by Norbert Lechner – WP
Genç
Pehlivanlar
(
Young
Wrestlers)
,
Turkey / Netherlands,
by Mete Gümürhan – WP
Rauf
,
Turkey
,
by Barış Kaya, Soner Caner –
WP
Siv
sover vilse
(
Siv Sleeps
Astray)
, Sweden / Netherlands
,
by Catti Edfeldt, Lena Hanno Clyne –
WP
Ted
Sieger’s Molly Monster
,
Switzerland / Germany / Sweden
,
by Ted Sieger, Matthias Bruhn, Michael Ekblad –
WP
Zud
,
Germany / Poland
,
by Marta Minorowicz –
WP
Short
films
Generation 14plus
Balcony,
Great
Britain, by Toby Fell-Holden – IP
Berlin
Metanoia, Germany,
by Erik Schmitt (Berlinale
Generation 14plus 2013:
Nashorn im
Galopp) – WP
Blind
Vaysha,
Canada, by Theodore Ushev – WP
Carousel,
Great
Britain,
by Kal Weber – WP
Crystal
Lake,
USA,
by Jennifer Reeder (
Berlinale Shorts 2015:
Blood Below the
Skin
)
– WP
El
Edén
(
Eden)
,
Colombia, by Andrés
Ramírez Pulido – WP
Jacked,
Great
Britain, by Rene Pannevis – IP
Kroppen
är en ensam plats
(
The Body Is a
Lonely Place)
,
Sweden, by Ida
Lindgren – WP
Léchez-nous,
Miaou, Miaou!
(
Lick Us, Meow,
Meow!),
Switzerland, by
Marie de Maricourt – IP
Mamma
vet bäst (Mother Knows Best),
Sweden,
by Mikael Bundsen – WP
Mushkie,
Israel,
by Aleeza Chanowitz – WP
O
noapte in Tokoriki (A Night in Tokoriki),
Romania,
by Roxane Stroe – WP
Refugee
Blues,
Great
Britain, by Stephan Bookas, Tristan Daws – WP
Sensiz
(Without You),
Ukraine,
by Nariman Aliev – WP
Spoetnik,
Netherlands,
by Noёl Loozen – IP
That
Day,
USA, by Stephanie Ard, WP
The
Ballad of Immortal Joe,
Canada,
by Hector Herrera – EP
Short
films
Generation Kplus
Aurelia
y Pedro (Aurelia and Pedro),
Mexico,
by
Omar Robles, José Permar - WP
Cats
& Dogs, Switzerland
/ Germany,
by Gerd Gockell, Jesús Pérez (Berlinale
Generation
Kplus 2011:
Der große
Bruder) – IP
Chopping
Onions,
USA,
by Adinah Dancyger – EP
El
inicio de Fabrizio (Fabrizio’s Initiation),
Argentina,
by Mariano Biasin – IP
En
la azotea (On the Roof),
Spain,
Damià Serra Cauchetiez - IP
Kill
Your Dinner,
Australia,
by Bryn Chainey - WP
Le
renard minuscule (The Teeny-Weeny Fox),
France
/ Switzerland / Belgium, by Aline Quertain, Sylwia Szkiladz – IP
Lili,
Denmark
/ Great Britain, by Siri
Melchior (Berlinale
Generation Kplus 2010:
Fløjteløs
)
– WP
Little
Doll,
Ireland,
by Kate Dolan – WP
Neiwa,
Mexico,
by Abraham Cruz Herrera, Javier Vázquez Cervantes – WP
Nina,
Belgium,
by Emmanuel Elliah, Maria Körkel – WP
Ninnoc,
Netherlands, by Niki Padidar – IP
Semele,
USA
/ Cyprus, by Myrsini Aristidou – EP
Simon's
Cat 'Off to the Vet',
Great
Britain,
by Simon Tofield – IP
Skatekeet,
Netherlands, by Edward Cook -
IP
Take
Your Partners,
Great
Britain,
by Siri Rodnes –WP
The
Boyfried Game,
Australia,
by Alice Englert – EP
Zeezucht
(Jonas and the Sea),
Netherlands, by Marlies van der Wel – EP