Dec 17, 2009:
On-screen Turning Points and Alternative Paths - Jury and First films of Berlinale Generation
For this year's anniversary Berlinale, Generation has invited five award-winning and renowned individuals into its International Jury: 21-year-old Iranian filmmaker Hana Makhmalbaf won a Crystal Bear at the 2008 festival with her debut film Buda Az Sharm Foru Rikht. With Philippe Falardeau, another award winner will return to Berlin. His film C’est pas moi, je le jure! convinced both the Children's Jury and the International Jury in the Generation Kplus competition 2009. Also invited is the Australian children's film producer Kylie Du Fresne, whose production The Djarn Djarns won a Crystal Bear for Best Short Film in 2005. The director of the German Children's Media Festival GOLDENER SPATZ Margret Albers is a prominent figure in the children's media scene in Germany. Multiple-award-winning Irish script author and producer Rowan O'Neill (The Race) will complete the International Jury, who traditionally are charged with awarding a grand total of 10,000 € in prizes from the Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk.

Generation has already selected 19 full-length films for its Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions, thanks in part to exciting discoveries from Latin America: In recent years, the emergent film industries in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia have been tapping into the rich source of the coming-of-age genre to reflect socially common and relevant subject matters. Having reached a turning point in their lives, the young protagonists feel compelled to take up their own alternative paths, and they challenge the cinema audiences to accompany them along the way.

A number of films in this year's confirmed selection are marked by the indigeneous cinema culture of New Zealand and Australia. New Zealander Taika Waititi (Two Cars One Night and Eagle vs. Shark) will present his long-awaited new production Boy, a tragicomic encounter between father and son in Maori rural society.The highly entertaining musical, Bran Nue Dae, takes a fresh look at the lives of young Aborigines in Australia (with Geoffrey Rush).

Representing the familiar multi-layered documentary experience in Generation are powerful family portrayals from Mexico and New Zealand. The German documentary Neukölln Unlimited tells the explosive story of a family of Lebanese origin, which is deeply rooted in the culture of Berlin’s migrant suburb Neukölln and seriously threatened by short notice deportation.

“It is very pleasing that Generation is receiving recognition from the international market”, says the section’s Director Maryanne Redpath, in reference to the two US films Gentlemen Broncos and Youth in Revolt in the 14plus competition.

Film selection for Generation will be completed in early January.
The following films have been confirmed thus far:

Generation Kplus

Alamar (To The Sea) by Pedro González Rubio, Mexico 2009
Boy by Taika Waititi, New Zealand 2009
Iep! (Eep!) by Ellen Smit, Netherlands/Belgium 2009, World premiere
Knerten by Åsleik Engmark, Norway 2009, International premiere
La Pivellina by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria/Italy 2009
Superbror (Superbrother) by Birger Larsen, Denmark 2009, International premiere
This Way of Life by Thomas Burstyn, New Zealand/Canada 2009
Yeo-haeng-ja (A Brand New Life) by Ounie Lecomte
Republic of Korea / France 2009
Yuki & Nina by Nobuhiro Suwa and Hippolyte Girardot, France/Japan 2009

Generation 14plus

Bran Nue Dae by Rachel Perkins, Australia 2009
Gentlemen Broncos by Jared Hess, USA 2009
Neukölln Unlimited by Agostino Imondi and Dietmar Ratsch
Germany 2010 / World premiere
Os famosos e os duendes da morte (The Famous And The Dead) by Esmir Filho, Brazil/France 2009
Retratos en un mar de mentiras (Portraits In A Sea Of Lies) by Carlos Gaviria, Colombia 2009 / World premiere
Road, Movie by Dev Benegal, India/USA 2009
SUMMER WARS by Mamoru Hosoda, Japan 2009
Te extraño (I Miss You) von Fabián Hofman, Mexico/Argentina/Uruguay 2010 / World premiere
Vihir (The Well) by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni, India 2009
Youth in Revolt by Miguel Arteta, USA 2009

Press Office
December 17, 2009