18/01/2024 - The Generation 14plus section will open with Last Swim by Sasha Nathwani and Generation Kplus with Winners by Soleen Yusef

The 74th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival has confirmed its Generation section line-up, set to be screened from 15-25 February. After unveiling the initial titles in December (see the news), the gathering has now announced nine additional feature-length films, comprising five world premieres, and ten shorts. This broadens the scope across 15 more production countries in the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions.

The Generation 14plus competition kicks off with the world premiere of Sasha Nathwani's debut feature, Last Swim [+see also:
film review
interview: Sasha Nathwani
film profile], portraying a pivotal day and night in the life of a young British-Iranian woman awaiting her A-level results. Confronting the repercussions of a life-altering diagnosis, the ambitious teenager navigates contemporary London, prompting a reassessment of her dreams and relationships. Meanwhile, the Generation Kplus strand opens with Soleen Yusef's Winners [+see also:
interview: Soleen Yusef
film profile], a witty and charming exploration of an 11-year-old Kurdish refugee girl's passion for football amid the complexities of daily school life in Berlin's Wedding district. Both films share an unwavering approach to addressing challenges and trauma, coupled with a hopeful energy needed to embrace life's fragility.

Section head Sebastian Markt commented: “In light of the conditions we find across the world today – which appear catastrophic from the perspective of young people, and not only to them – the question as to what cinema can be as art and social space repeatedly arises. This programme is our attempt to formulate an answer: films that expose the cracks that run through our world and make them graspable, films that come up with forms to make things visible and expressible, and films that invent images which could become the material with which some of these cracks might be repaired.”

In the documentary Maydegol [+see also:
film review
film profile], Sarvnaz Alambeigi follows the journey of a kickboxer who sought refuge from Afghanistan in Iran, presenting a compassionate portrayal of her remarkable resilience. Alambeigi's lens captures the young woman's unwavering pursuit of independence, offering insights into contemporary Iran. Meanwhile, Carlo Sironi's My Summer with Irène [+see also:
film review
interview: Carlo Sironi
film profile] explores a different space, where two young women, grappling with the aftermath of serious illness, forge a unique bond. Sironi weaves a narrative deeply connected to nature and wounded bodies.

Two films in the line-up offer distinctly queer coming-of-age tales. Fin by Ryan Machado, set in the Philippines, follows a young cinephile searching for his father, stumbling upon the local queer scene and navigating unexpected desires. Anthony Schatteman's debut, Young Hearts [+see also:
film review
interview: Anthony Schatteman
film profile], portrays 13-year-old Elias discovering his love for his new neighbour – but he must first navigate self-discovery before expressing his newfound emotions.

Set in Peru in 1992, Klaudia Reynicke's Reinas [+see also:
film review
interview: Klaudia Reynicke
film profile] delves into a family's complex dynamics during a crisis-ridden period. Focusing on two sisters, the film provides a multi-layered, autobiographically inspired portrait, capturing a pivotal familial moment amidst broader societal changes. In Franco García Becerra's Through Rocks and Clouds, eight-year-old alpaca herder Feliciano's perspective is laid bare against a backdrop of mountains and rivers. The film portrays the indigenous community's struggle against a destructive mining company while expressing their collective support for Peru's World Cup qualification.

In Yaonan Liu's debut film set in Southern China, titled The Great Phuket, social reality and a teenager's fantasy life intertwine elegantly. Li Xing, amid ruins and construction, discovers a mysterious bunker providing solace from a rapidly transforming world. Meanwhile, Kim Hye-young's dance drama It’s Okay! depicts an unexpected connection between a spirited orphaned student and a strict headmistress, as they both gradually overcome individual wounds.

Finally, ten additional titles round off the short-film competitions, presenting a diverse array of cinematic forms that narrate confrontations with historical forces and private moments of self-invention.

Here is the full list of the 2024 Berlinale Generation selection:

Generation 14plus

Last Swim [+see also:
film review
interview: Sasha Nathwani
film profile] - Sasha Nathwani (UK) (opening film)
A Bird Flew - Leinad Pájaro De la Hoz (Colombia/Cuba) (short film)
Cura sana - Lucía G Romero (Spain – short film)
Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Luck Razanajaona (France/Madagascar/Germany/Mauritius/South Africa/Qatar)
Elbow [+see also:
film review
interview: Aslı Özarslan
film profile] - Aslı Özarslan (Germany/Turkey/France)
Fin - Ryan Machado (Philippines)
The Girl Who Lived in the Loo - Subarna Dash (India) (short film)
The Great Phuket - Liu Yaonan (France/Hong Kong/China/Germany/Belgium)
Invincible Summer - Arnaud Dufeys (Belgium) (short film)
Lapse - Caroline Cavalcanti (Brazil) (short film)
Maydegol [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Sarvnaz Alambeigi (Iran/Germany/France) (documentary)
Muna - Warda Mohamed (UK) (short film)
My Summer with Irène [+see also:
film review
interview: Carlo Sironi
film profile] - Carlo Sironi (Italy/France)
Resentment - Gleb Osatinski (USA/Lithuania) (short film)
Songs of Love and Hate - Saurav Ghimire (Nepal) (short documentary film)
Who by Fire [+see also:
film review
interview: Philippe Lesage
film profile] - Philippe Lesage (Canada/France)

Generation Kplus

Winners [+see also:
interview: Soleen Yusef
film profile] - Soleen Yusef (Germany) (opening film)
Amplified - Dina Naser (Jordan/Egypt/Palestine) (short film)
Aguacuario - Jose Eduardo Castilla Ponce (Mexico) (short film)
A Summer’s End Poem - Lam Can-zhao (China/Switzerland/Malaysia) (short film)
Butterfly - Florence Miailhe (France) (short animated film)
Fox and Hare Save the Forest [+see also:
film review
interview: Mascha Halberstad
film profile] - Mascha Halberstad (Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg) (animation)
It’s Okay! – Kim Hye-young (South Korea)
The Major Tones [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Ingrid Pokropek (Argentina/Spain)
Porcelain - Annika Birgel (Germany) (short film)
Reinas [+see also:
film review
interview: Klaudia Reynicke
film profile] - Klaudia Reynicke (Switzerland/Peru/Spain)
Sheep - Hadi Babaeifar (Iran) (short film)
Sour Candy - Nishi Dugar (India) (short film)
Through Rocks and Clouds - Franco García Becerra (Peru/Chile)
Uli - Mariana Gil Ríos (Colombia) (short film)
Yuck! - Loïc Espuche (France) (short animated film)
Young Hearts [+see also:
film review
interview: Anthony Schatteman
film profile] - Anthony Schatteman (Belgium/Netherlands)