Already twelve films produced and co-produced in ten countries have been invited to the Berlinale Generation section. The complete Generation programme will be announced in mid January.
Generation will be returning to the recently reopened Zoo Palast cinema. Here, as well as at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, it will celebrate film premieres and repetition screenings. The section’s short film competition has been given a new home in the CinemaxX at Potsdamer Platz.
Generation 14plus
52 Tuesdays– Australia
By Sophie Hyde
Every Tuesday for a year Billie spends with her mother who is undergoing gender transition and is now called James. As a result, everything is changing. Though actually, Billie has enough on her hands trying to cope with her own problems.
European premiere
Atlántida– Argentina / France
By Inés María Barrionuevo
A hot summer day in a village in Argentina. Adults are nowhere in sight and time has come to a stop. Yet for two teen sisters everything is in motion. It is their feelings and desires that propel the film onwards.
World premiere
Einstein and Einstein– People’s Republic of China
By Cao Baoping
China’s one-child policy has had a profound impact on Li Wan’s family. When she is 13 years old, she is given a dog named Einstein to console her for her father’s disinterest. But Li Wan is more interested in astrophysics and rebelling against social norms.
European premiere
Galore– Australia
By Rhys Graham
A dramatic love triangle set against the backdrop of raging bushfires. The summer nights hardly cool off and the parties keep getting wilder. Falling in love for the first time is a mysterious thing and here lies the danger for Billie, Danny and Laura.
International premiere
God Help the Girl– United Kingdom
By Stuart Murdoch
Music is like medicine for Eve. In the underground scene in Glasgow, she finds a sense of security, friends and discovers her own talent. This musical directorial debut by the lead singer of Belle and Sebastian shows great ease and tact.
European premiere
Il Sud è Niente (South Is Nothing)– Italy / France
By Fabio Mollo
It seems as if everything around Grazia has come to a halt. Her father obeys the code of silence prevailing in this southern Italian village. In her family it is even off limits to mention her brother who has disappeared.
European premiere
Ömheten (Broken Hill Blues)– Sweden
By Sofia Norlin
In Kiruna, a small Nordic mining community, the earth trembles day and night. Sparse in dialogue and with a gentle empathy for its protagonists, this directorial debut tells of growing up on very unstable ground.
International premiere
Somos Mari Pepa (We Are Mari Pepa)– Mexico
By Samuel Kishi Leopo
The four boys in the band “Mari Pepa” have only one song in their repertoire. Yet music is their big hope. Friendships and dreams are suffering from the constraints of everyday life. A film as poetic as punk rock. European premiere
Generation Kplus
Ciencias Naturales(Natural Sciences)– Argentina
By Matías Lucchesi
There’s nothing to keep Lila at her boarding school high up in the cold and foggy mountains. This 12-year-old girl does not know who her father is but wants to find him. She sets out on a complicated quest for the truth.
World premiere
Loulou, l'incroyable secret (Wolfy, the Incredible Secret)– France
By Grégoire Solotareff and Eric Omond
Loulou is off on another adventure. He fights against the dark dynasty of the Wolfenberg, to whom he is related in some mysterious way. Artistically animated, this work is about the most courageous wolf in the world and a valiant but timid rabbit named Tom.
International premiere
MGP Missionen (The Contest)– Denmark
By Martin Miehe-Renard
For Karl, a boy from the country, moving to Copenhagen is like a voyage into a completely new world. A girl named Sawsan tries to help him. Yet it is not long before all of Denmark is searching not only for a superstar, but for the two children who have vanished without a trace.
International premiere
Tante Hilda! (Aunt Hilda!) – France / Luxembourg
By Jacques-Rémy Girerd and Benoît Chieux
The genetically-engineered grain called “Attilem” is supposedly the new wonder weapon against global hunger. Only environmentally-minded Hilda has her doubts. A masterpiece from the famous animation studios Folimage and Melusine – and an unconventional plea for more flower power.
European premiere