24/02/2024 - BERLINALE 2024: Sasha Nathwani’s coming-of-age drama has triumphed in Generation 14plus, whilst Kim Hye-young’s tale about an orphaned young dancer emerged victorious in Generation Kplus

The awards for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus sections of the 74th Berlinale, which this year runs from 15-25 February, have just been unveiled.

Starting with Generation 14plus, the members of the Youth Jury Generation 14plus – Erik Lars Dziergwa, Viola Holland, Cynthia Kuo-Lo, Solace Pieper and Sea Starzacher – awarded the Crystal Bear for Best Film to Sasha Nathwani’s Last Swim [+see also:
film review
interview: Sasha Nathwani
film profile] (UK). In their statement, the jury members described it as “a film that really stayed with us, and tells a story about the beauty of life and of things coming to an end”. Furthermore, it “does not shy away from portraying the messy and consuming feelings that can arise when you know your dreams may not be fulfilled. […] However, it also invites the viewer into the joyful and lively world of a teenager and her friends as they celebrate their youth. This masterful balance between the fear and loneliness that our main protagonist tries to suppress, and her joy as she spends time with her friends, is what enraptured us and is the reason why we chose this film,” the jurors continued. Qu Youjia’s She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones (China) was singled out with a Special Mention.

As for the section’s international jury – made up of Amjad Abu Alala, Banafshe Hourmazdi and Ira Sachs – its Grand Prix for Best Film in the Generation 14plus section, endowed with €7,500, was awarded to Who by Fire [+see also:
film review
interview: Philippe Lesage
film profile] by Philippe Lesage (Canada/France). “For a deeply original film made by an artist who isn’t afraid to take chances, a work of cinema that seems both very new and also rooted in the history of drama, from Chekhov to Bergman, creating a precise portrait of a particular social milieu; a film full of life’s contradictions – love and hate, maturity and childishness, beauty and violence; a work of art in which the foibles and failures of adult life reflect the troubling futures of the young protagonists,” reads the jury statement.

Moving on to the Generation Kplus section, the children’s jury, comprising Elisabeth Christenfeldt, Frederik Hammer, Kali Marsh, Roza Papastefanou, Paula Amélie Riedel, Nanami Lina Rohrer and Juni Spanier, handed the Crystal Bear for Best Film to Kim Hye-young’s It’s Okay (South Korea). In detail, the film took the jury on “a humorous and emotional rollercoaster ride with the courageous protagonist. […] We witnessed how two very different characters found each other and that life shouldn’t be ruled by perfectionism.”

A Special Mention was bestowed upon Anthony Schatteman’s Young Hearts [+see also:
film review
interview: Anthony Schatteman
film profile] (Belgium/Netherlands), which the jurors praised as “a romantic and creative film that evoked many emotions and moved us in a magical way.”

Next, the Generation international jury bestowed its Grand Prix for Best Film in the Kplus strand (also worth €7,500) upon Klaudia Reynicke’s Reinas [+see also:
film review
interview: Klaudia Reynicke
film profile] (Switzerland/Spain/Peru). The jury statement reads as follows: “For a film in which the acting, the light, the characters and the story all work in tandem and provide great symmetry; a film of everyday family life that, at the same time, gives voice to a country, Peru, and its very specific political history.”

Finally, Franco García Becerra’s Through Rocks and Clouds (Peru/Chile) scooped a Special Mention. The jury defined it as “a beautifully made film that contains in its images the strongest feelings of childhood”, wherein “the social and the political frame an indelible story of a young Peruvian boy’s friendship with animals, particularly with his beloved dog and his cherished alpaca”.

The full list of award winners is as follows:

Generation 14plus

Feature films

Crystal Bear
Last Swim [+see also:
film review
interview: Sasha Nathwani
film profile] - Sasha Nathwani (UK)
Special Mention
She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones - Qu Youjia (China)

Grand Prix of the International Jury for Best Film
Who by Fire [+see also:
film review
interview: Philippe Lesage
film profile] - Philippe Lesage (Canada/France)
Special Mention 
Maydegol [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Sarvnaz Alambeigi (Iran/Germany/France)

Short films

Crystal Bear for Best Short Film
Cura sana - Lucía G Romero (Spain)
Special Mention
Lapse - Caroline Cavalcanti (Brazil)

Special Prize of the International Jury for Best Short Film in Generation 14plus
A Bird Flew - Leinad Pájaro De la Hoz (Colombia/Cuba)
Special Mention 
Songs of Love and Hate - Saurav Ghimire (Nepal/Belgium)

Generation Kplus

Feature films

Crystal Bear
It’s Okay - Kim Hye-young (South Korea)
Special Mention
Young Hearts [+see also:
film review
interview: Anthony Schatteman
film profile] - Anthony Schatteman (Belgium/Netherlands)

Generation Kplus International Jury’s Grand Prize
Reinas [+see also:
film review
interview: Klaudia Reynicke
film profile] - Klaudia Reynicke (Switzerland/Spain/Peru)
Special Mention
Through Rocks and Clouds - Franco García Becerra (Peru/Chile)

Short films

Crystal Bear for Best Short Film
Butterfly - Florence Miailhe (France)
Special Mention
Sukoun – Dina Naser (Jordan/Egypt/Palestine)

Generation Kplus International Jury Award for Best Short Film
A Summer’s End Poem - Lam Can-zhao (China/Switzerland/Malaysia)
Special Mention
Uli - Mariana Gil Ríos (Colombia)