Generation 2010: Transcending
boundaries in cinematic landscapes

Looking at the programme one could get the impression that conventional notions of contrast - documentary versus fiction, fantasy versus reality or abstraction versus tangibility - are not so much in opposition to each other, as they are different intrinsically linked aspects which tend to influence each other.

Maryanne Redpath: That’s correct and can be seen very well in a docu-fiction such as the Kplus opening film Alamar (Pedro González-Rubio). Here the day-to-day lives of real people and their surroundings provide a setting for the plot, which is interwoven with a fictional story. In the center of this and other docu-fictions the issue is less about the distinction between real and fictional, but rather the boundaries between the two. In what way is something real or perceived as real? Our programme provides no clear answers because real and virtual spaces are intermingled. Especially in the area of acting one finds a wealth of such transcendences. Most of the young actors aren’t professionals so their performance depends a lot on how well the directors can relate to these young people.

Florian Weghorn: The makers of La Pivellinashot their film with a small crew and compact cameras so that their protagonist, a two-year-old girl, could forget about the fact they were filming. Rather than instructing her on how to act, the directors created situations. The result is a very beautiful feature in a documentary style. Of course we also have a whole series of films in which one sees young people acting – in the best sense of the word. Not every child plays him or herself.

(Un)true to genre

This year genre films make a strong showing in the programme. Does that mean that the films can be clearly placed in certain genres (and that the films have a life within these limits) or do they play with conventions and genre elements?

FW: Both are true. On the one hand we have some very clear genre productions such as the film Uchu Show e Yokoso (Welcome to THE SPACE SHOW), which masters the sci-fi genre well into the fourth dimension. Superbror (Superbrother) from Denmark is a different case, because it first appears to be a conflict between two brothers: One of the boys is autistic, while the other is nothing more than the younger brother. Superbror also incorporates elements of science fiction – a super-weapon falls from a star – and becomes part of the problematic fraternal relationship. A serious theme is made palatable for children, through intelligent utilization of this genre.

MR: In my view, genre is an awkward term, because the industry is quick at labeling so-called children’s or family films. In our films genre is a general tool used to define or to describe something. Openness and a willingness to experiment are keywords here. In this respect we often label our movies with the very neutral title “Generation films”.

The 14-plus opening film Road, Movie by Dev Benegal already falls into a genre description on account of its title.

Do we see any disharmony in the relationship between people and landscape in the films? Isn’t Dooman River (Zhang Lu) an example of this?

MR: Yes, that’s a very good example. In Dooman River, there is a very long, wide river, which is both a heavily guarded border crossing as well as the setting of a fight for survival. People cross the river to escape or to look for food. In this place the friendship drama of two boys from China and North Korea unfolds. Symbolically, the river stands for all of the boundaries of this world and at the same time has real existential significance for the young people living there. The border is a typical image for coming-of-age. The question of how one recognizes and overcomes inner and outer boundaries during the process of maturing is brought up by characters in our films over and over again.

Rachel Perkins, known for her history documentary series First Australians is presenting her musical Bran Nue Dae. Does she maintain her historical, documentary approach?

There are even more extreme examples, such as the German documentary Neukölln Unlimited by Agostino Imondi and Dietmar Ratsch, which shows the fear of being deported from a country in which you have grown up and feel at home. Apart from this film in 14plus there are no German feature films in the programme. Is that a sign of dry period for German films for children and youth?

FW: The Berlinale is an international festival and sometimes there are more German films and sometimes less. Of course this has to do with the fact that we don’t only want to show pure children’s or youth films. The type of films we show aren’t that well represented in Germany. Certain traditions, which are considered normal in other countries, are lacking. That doesn’t mean at all that there aren’t any good German children’s films. Last year we had a fantastic opening film from Germany we were really happy about.

MR: If a German film like Neukölln Unlimited makes it into a hotly contested competition of just 14 films, that’s already a great achievement! We should also mention that Anne Linsel and Rainer Hoffmann’s very impressive German documentary Tanzträume (Dancing Dreams) featuring Pina Bausch is running at the festival in Berlinale Special. We’re showing this as a cross-section film for a youth audience.

Wholeheartedly opening up to a young audience

FW: With these cross-section screenings, we want to give children and young generations an impression of the festival as a whole. They tend to grow into other sections, before they can officially visit them. On the other hand, filmmakers have a great chance to see that their film can also – and I stress “also” – work with a young audience. I think, a seriously made film can be made seriously accessible to a young audience.

MR: The question of a clear definition of children’s film arises again and again. In our international jury this year we have three Crystal Bear winners, who didn’t make their films explicitly for children and yet were able to convince a jury aged 11-14: Philippe Falardeau (C’est pas moi, je le jure!), Hana Makhmalbaf (Buda Az Sharm Foru Rikht) and Kylie Du Fresne, the producer of the Australian short film The Djarn Djarns.

What do you mean by “classical” children’s film when you refer to the three Scandinavian productions Bestevenner (Rafiki) (Christian Lo), Superbror and Knerten (Twigson) (Åsleik Engmark)?

MR: Thankfully, Scandinavian cinema is always strongly committed to children as cinemagoers. Amidst the wide choice from these countries, we look for offbeat, surprising and entertainingly challenging films that show this commitment and push it forward.

FW: In this respect, this year’s short film programme stands out. We’re really enthusiastic about it. It’s packed with anarchic little artworks – beginning with the films for 4-year-olds through to the docu-fiction Ønskebørn (Out of Love). The feature film director Brigitte Stærmose hadn’t planned on making a documentary on the street children of Pristina but then ended up making one – but using a very fictional approach. Other films are also breathtaking on this level: Älä kuiskaa ystävän suuhun (Whispering in a Friend’s Mouth) by Hannaleena Hauru, for example, tells its story in palindromes, in scenes that work both forwards and backwards. Or I’m Here by Spike Jonze, who puts computer casings on people’s heads and lets them have passionate love affairs as robots.

Are there any other big international names in the programme beside Spike Jonze?

The motif of flying appears in a noticeable number of films. Which longings and desires are expressed this way in the Generation films?

MR: Here we should mention Iep! (Eep!) by Ellen Smit. This film is about a bird-girl, who is adopted as a chick by a childless couple. One day in the autumn she feels the desire to fly south for the winter. The film communicates a great desire for freedom and to follow ones own dreams. The great thing is that Iep! not only manages to bring us closer to a very moving, even disturbing being, but also raises existential questions about the parent-child relationship. At the end, the old couple has to let the bird-child go and still remain happy.

FW: Anyone who wants to fly and discover the farthest-flung corners of space should watch the Anime Uchu Show e Yokoso (Welcome to THE SPACE SHOW) by Koji Masunari. The discovery of unknown worlds is one of mankind’s deepest longings and is always connected to the hope that a lot is happening in some distant place. We’ll give it away: in 136 minutes, Space Show fulfils this yearning.