Berlin International Film Festival unveiled the 2024 jury who decides who will take home the Golden and the Silver Bears. The International Jury presided over by actor, director, producer and writer Lupita Nyong’o includes actor and director Brady Corbet (USA), director Ann Hui (Hong Kong, China), director Christian Petzold (Germany), director Albert Serra (Spain), actor and director Jasmine Trinca (Italy) and writer Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine). 20 films are competing for the awards in this year’s Competition.
This year’s Encounters program features 15 films. The jury are Lisandro Alonso (Argentina), Denis Côté (Canada) and Tizza Covi (Italy) and will choose the winners for Best Film, Best Director and the Special Jury Award:
The director and screenwriter Ilker Çatak (Germany), the sound artist and researcher Xabier Erkizia (Spain) and the director, screenwriter, video artist and lecturer Jennifer Reeder (USA) are the International Short Film Jury for the 2024 Berlinale Shorts. From the 20 nominated films, they will be choosing the winner of the Golden Bear for Best Short Film, the winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) and the Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards.
Since 2006, the GWFF Best First Feature Award has been given to one outstanding debut film across the Berlinale sections. In total, 16 directorial feature film debuts from the sections Competition, Encounters, Panorama, Forum and Generation are nominated for the GWFF Best First Feature Award. The three-person jury deciding on the award are Eliza Hittman (USA), Andréa Picard (Canada) and Katrin Pors (Denmark).
In total, 20 documentary works from the sections Competition, Berlinale Special, Encounters, Panorama, Forum and Generation are nominated for the Berlinale Documentary Award. The prize money will be shared by the director and the producer of the winning film. The three-member jury include Abbas Fahdel (Iraq / France), Thomas Heise (Germany) and Véréna Paravel (France).
And two world premieres complete the Generation program including Wo Tu (Above the Dust) by Wang Xiaoshuai in the Generation Kplus competition and Kai Shi De Qiang (She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones) by Qu Youjia in the Generation 14plus competition.
In his latest film, Wang Xiaoshuai (last represented in the Berlinale Competition in 2019 with So Long, My Son) tells the story of a Chinese village and its inhabitants from the perspective of ten-year-old Wo Tu. Against the backdrop of social change, Wang masterfully blurs the boundaries between past and present, reality and dream.
In Kai Shi De Qiang, the determined teenager Zhuang is about to take the important national university entrance exam when an encounter with an enigmatic long-distance runner throws him off course. Qu Youjia’s debut film is the deeply original coming-of-age story of a late bloomer, told with humour and verve.
Generation 2024
Aguacuario
by José Eduardo Castilla Ponce | with Hugo Benítez Guerra, Marsell Moreno Cruz, Claudio Jurado
Mexico 2023
Generation Kplus | European premiere | Short film
Meeting his responsibilities or defying his brother and embarking on a little three-wheeled adventure? That’s the dilemma a ten-yearold boy faces in Mexico.
Anaar Daana (Sour Candy | Saure Bonbons)
by Nishi Dugar | with Veda Agrawal, Manav Hinduja, Lavya Jain, Manjari Saxena, Suryakanta Bothra
India 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
Guddal, a free-spirited five-year-old, loves eating the sour sweeties called Anaar Daana. Her antics with her brother Laddoo often land her in trouble. One day, a sad incident in the house causes a shift in her idyllic world.
Beurk ! (Yuck! | Igitt!)
by Loïc Espuche | with Noé Chabbat, Katell Varvat, Enzo Desmedt, Camille Bouisson, Hugo Chauvel
France 2024
Generation Kplus | International premiere | Animation | Short film
Yuck! Kissing on the mouth is disgusting. But secretly, little Léo really wants to try it…
Comme le feu (Who by Fire)
by Philippe Lesage | with Noah Parker, Aurélia Arandi-Longpré, Antoine Marchand-Gagnon, Arieh Worthalter, Paul Ahmarani
Canada / France 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere
Seventeen-year-old Jeff is invited by his friend Max’s family to stay with them at the wilderness lodge of film director Blake Cadieux.
Cura sana
by Lucía G. Romero | with Roser Rendon Ena, Rasvely Lissette Donaire Restituyo, Yaneys Cabrera Ramírez, Leisam Ramos Rodríguez, Ana Barja
Spain 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
Spain during the Noche de San Juan festival. Sisters Jessica and Alma are once again on their way to pick up food stamps from the Caritas charity. Although they have experienced violence at home, they both try to break the cycle and treat each other with love.
Disco Afrika : une histoire malgache (Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story)
by Luck Razanajaona | with Parista Sambo, Laurette Ramasinjanahary, Joe Lerova, Drwina Razafimahaleo, Jérôme Oza
France / Madagascar / Germany / Mauritius / South Africa / Qatar 2023
Generation 14plus | European premiere | Debut film
Twenty-year-old Kwame toils in clandestine sapphire mines. When an unexpected event takes him back to his hometown, he is confronted with the rampant corruption that plagues his country. Kwame is forced to make a choice.
Ellbogen (Elbow)
by Aslı Özarslan | with Melia Kara, Doğa Gürer, Jale Arıkan, Haydar Şahin, Orhan Kiliç
Germany / Turkey / France 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere
Hazal is 17 and lives in Berlin. Her biggest wish: to be given a chance. For her 18th birthday she wants to escape the everyday grind
and party with her friends. But a fatal incident changes everything. Hazal is forced to flee.
Fox and Hare Save the Forest (Fuchs und Hase retten den Wald)
by Mascha Halberstad | with Rob Rackstraw, Dan Skinner, Jamie Quinn, Teresa Galagher, Sarah Madigan
Netherlands / Belgium / Luxembourg 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Animation
With Owl disappearing, mischievous Rats terrorising the neighbourhood and a lake threatening to submerge their home, Fox and Hare embark on an exciting adventure to save the forest. It will push their friendship to the limit!
The Girl Who Lived in the Loo
by Subarna Dash | with Sneha Das, Pratyusha Mitra
India 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Animation | Short film
A ten-year-old girl has discovered her haven: the loo. In a bathroom, her life is calm and secure, but also somewhat lonely. She gradually tries to find a way to deal with her obsession and navigate her way through life.
Goosfand (Sheep | Schaf)
by Hadi Babaeifar | with Rose Tabatabaei, Gelavij Alam
Iran 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
A little girl who lives with her mother in Tehran discovers that the sheep in her neighbours’ backyard are being sacrificed in a traditional ritual. She decides to save as many animals as she can.
Huling Palabas (Fin)
by Ryan Machado | with Shun Mark Gomez, Bon Andrew Lentejas, Cedrick Juan, Serena Magiliw, Jay Gonzaga
Philippines 2023
Generation 14plus | International premiere | Debut film
In the summer of 2001, 16-year-old Andoy searches for his long-lost father in the most unlikely of places: on VHS tapes. When two movie-like characters appear in his small hometown, his reality begins to falter.
Un invincible été (Invincible Summer)
by Arnaud Dufeys | with Charles Lebrun, Vadiel Gonzalez, Victor Meurice
Belgium 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
Sixteen-year-old Clément spends a hot summer evening home alone by the pool. Determined to lose his virginity, he swipes through guys’ profiles on Grindr…
It’s Okay! (Es ist okay!)
by Kim Hye-young | with Lee Re, Jin Seo-yeon, Chung Su-bin, Son Suk-ku, Lee Jung-ha
South Korea 2023
Generation Kplus | International premiere | Debut film
One year after the tragic loss of her mother, In-young finds herself without a home. She takes shelter in the building of her dance school, but her secret sanctuary is in peril when the choreographer, Seol-ah, discovers her.
Kai Shi De Qiang (She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones)
by Qu Youjia | with Zhang Taiwen, Miao Jijun
People’s Republic of China 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere
Zhuang takes the blame for a theft actually carried out by his classmate Meng. But then she gives him the cold shoulder. Zhuang is just waiting for the right moment to make an impression…
Lapso (Lapse)
by Caroline Cavalcanti | with Beatriz Oliveira, Juan Queiroz, Dora Rosa, Thayanne Lima
Brazil 2023
Generation 14plus | European premiere | Short film
Two teenagers living in the suburbs of Belo Horizonte in Brazil meet while completing a socio-educational scheme. Through their shared experiences of repression at the hands of the state authorities, they slowly draw closer together.
Last Swim
by Sasha Nathwani | with Deba Hekmat, Narges Rashidi, Jay Lycurgo, Solly McLeod, Lydia Fleming
United Kingdom 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Debut film
A-levels results day. An ambitious and brainy Iranian-British teenager embarks on a journey across London with her friends, while secretly grappling with a life-changing decision.
Maydegol
by Sarvnaz Alambeigi | with Maydegol, Mohadesseh, Farzaneh
Iran / Germany / France 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Documentary Form
An Afghan teenager living as an immigrant in Iran strives to pursue her dream of becoming a professional Muay Thai boxer while battling the social injustice and violence she encounters beyond the ring.
Muna
by Warda Mohamed | with Kosar Ali, Raha Isse Farah, Elmi Rashid Elmi, Ahmed Nur, Meena Mohamed
United Kingdom 2023
Generation 14plus | International premiere | Short film
Muna is desperate to go on the school trip but her parents aren’t so sure. When her grandfather back in Somalia dies and the UK-based family mourn someone Muna never really knew, she learns that more connects the two of them than she ever realised.
Obraza (Resentment)
by Gleb Osatinski | with Vladyslav Baliuk, Sergey Zdoronkov, Liudmila Gnatenko, Ariana Rimkutė, Vaidotas Martinaitis
USA / Lithuania 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
Seventeen-year-old Yasha is rebelling against authority. But in the USSR of 1990, some opposing forces are more dangerous than others. Determined not to give in, Yasha’s need for self-expression will propel him to the precipice of irreparable harm.
Un pájaro voló (A Bird Flew)
by Leinad Pájaro De la Hoz | with Yasser Ramírez Boloy, Alejandra de Jesús Garcell, Jesús Angel Cruz López
Colombia / Cuba 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
Boloy, a player on the Cuban national volleyball team, is tormented by the memory of a friend who is no longer around. Despite his pain, he tries to return to morning training.
Papillon (Butterfly | Schmetterling)
by Florence Miailhe
France 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Animation | Short film
A man swims in the sea. This brings back memories. They are all connected to water, from his early childhood to his adult life. This will be the story of his last swim.
Porzellan (Porcelain)
by Annika Birgel | with Nell Marie Haack, Liv Heleen Haack, Niklas Leifert
Germany 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
On a remote German island, the inhabitants of a village come together to celebrate a traditional eve-of-wedding party. As the shards of the crockery smashed by the guests pile up, ten-year-old Fina struggles to keep a piece of herself intact.
Quell’estate con Irène (My Summer with Irène)
by Carlo Sironi | with Noée Abita, Maria Camilla Brandenburg, Claudio Segaluscio, Gabriele Rollo, Beatrice Puccilli
Italy / France 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere
Italy, 1997. When Clara and Irène, both 17, meet, they are nothing like each other but get on marvellously well. They run away together to a faraway island off the coast of Sicily to live their summer freely, and to hide from a reality they want to forget.
Raíz (Through Rocks and Clouds | Durch Felsen und Wolken)
by Franco García Becerra | with Alberth Merma, Nely Huayta, Richard Taipe, José Merma, Rubén Huillca
Peru / Chile 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere
Feliciano, an eight-year-old alpaca herder, is euphoric: Peru has the chance to qualify for the World Cup! But the machinations of a mining company endanger his village and threaten Feliciano’s world and his dreams.
Reinas
by Klaudia Reynicke | with Abril Gjurinovic, Luana Vega, Jimena Lindo, Gonzalo Molina, Susi Sánchez
Switzerland / Spain / Peru 2024
Generation Kplus | European premiere
1992 is a turbulent year in Lima, Peru. Lucia, Aurora and their mother Elena decide to move to the US. A reunion with their estranged father and ex-husband, Carlos, leads to a departure filled with mixed emotions of hope and regret.
Sieger sein (Winners)
by Soleen Yusef | with Dileyla Agirman, Andreas Döhler, Sherine Ciara Merai, Tamira Bwibo, Halima Ilter
Germany 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere
Mona has fled Syria with her Kurdish family and ends up in a primary school in Berlin-Wedding. Things are tough in the school. Everyone on Mona’s all-girls football team plays against each other. But only “team work makes the dream work”.
Songs of Love and Hate
by Saurav Ghimire | with Saurav Ghimire, Shraddha Ghimire, Bardan Basnet, Kewal Rijal
Nepal / Belgium 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Documentary Form | Short film
The sudden disappearance of the popular host of a relationship advice radio show leaves a vacuum. Listeners are uncertain about the direction their romantic endeavours should take.
Sukoun (Amplified | In die Stille)
by Dina Naser | with Malak Nassar, Suhad Khatib, Nadeem Al-Rimawi, Hanna George Sakkab
Jordan / Egypt / Palestine 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
Hind is a young karate athlete who is hard of hearing. One day, after she is subjected to abusive behaviour at the training centre, her world becomes distorted. Hind must find a way to reclaim her power.
A Summer’s End Poem (Sommer, Ende)
by Lam Can-zhao | with Cai Jingbo, Cai Liyu, Lan Zhongqing
People’s Republic of China / Switzerland / Malaysia 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
Shortly before the end of the summer holidays, a country boy spends his savings on his dream of a city hairstyle – with surprising results. A story about bidding farewell to childhood and the poetic end of a summer.
Los tonos mayores (The Major Tones | Tonspuren)
by Ingrid Pokropek | with Sofía Clausen, Pablo Seijo, Lina Ziccarello, Mercedes Halfon, Santiago Ferreira
Argentina / Spain 2023
Generation Kplus | International premiere | Debut film
Following an accident, 14-year-old Ana has a metal plate in her arm. During the winter holidays, the plate suddenly starts to receive strange messages in Morse code.
Uli
by Mariana Gil Ríos | with Ulith Giraldo, María Camila Alarcón, Amelia Mejía Escobar, Emanuel Vélez Hernández
Colombia 2023
Generation Kplus | International premiere | Short film
Rafaela accompanies her older sister on a visit to a boy. As the two older ones retreat, Rafa begins to explore the house. She meets queer girl Uli and her pet, and has the opportunity to find freedom in an unfamiliar place.
Wo Tu (Above the Dust)
by Wang Xiaoshuai | with Ouyang Wenxin, Yong Mei, Zu Feng, Li Jun, Wang Zichuan
People’s Republic of China / Netherlands 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere
Ten-year-old Wo Tu dreams of having a water pistol like the other boys in his village. His dying grandfather promises to grant him his wish once he is a ghost…
Xiao Ban Jie (The Great Phuket)
by Liu Yaonan | with Li Rongkun, Yang Xuan, Kang Hang, You Junfen, Liu Huiyun
Hong Kong, China / France / Germany / Belgium 2024
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Debut film | Sales Agent (Asia):
Parallax Films
Fourteen-year-old Li Xing lives in a district full of ruins and reconstruction. School brings him nothing but problems and his family is no help at all. One day, he finds an underground shelter where strange things happen…
Young Hearts (Junge Herzen)
by Anthony Schatteman | with Lou Goossens, Marius De Saeger, Geert Van Rampelberg, Emilie De Roo, Dirk Van Dijck
Belgium / Netherlands 2024
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Debut film
Fourteen-year-old Elias increasingly feels like an outsider in his village. When he meets Alexander, his new neighbor of the same age, Elias is confronted with his burgeoning sexuality
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