Generation 2018: Listening to Longing in a Paradoxical World

This year the Generation programme features young people who create their own realities and bring the contradictions inherent in the fragile reality of the adult world to light. How do they approach the portrayal of these different living environments?

El día que resistía (The Endless Day) by Alessia Chiesa from the Kplus programme is an example of a film that depicts the contrast between the world of adults and that of children in an impressive manner, while also possessing a particularly fairy-tale-like quality. The story revolves around a nine-year-old girl who lives all alone with her two younger siblings out in a house in the forest. As the big sister, she assumes responsibility for the little ones, taking care of them and reading them fairy tales aloud that enable them to immerse themselves in fantastic worlds. In their dark forest home, the children are forced to fend for themselves and viewers are able to follow along in a wonderful fashion as they do their best to find their way in a world totally devoid of adults. As a viewer, one leaves the cinema with a whole lot of questions running through one’s mind and I am certain that the film also invites children to identify with the characters and to examine their problems on an equal footing.

Are there other examples in the programme for this difference between the world of children and that of adults?

Yes, for instance in the German-Kenyan feature film Supa Modo (R: Likarion Wainaina, Kplus), in which a girl suffering from leukaemia dreams of being a superhero. The girl is incredibly strong and transfers her strength to the grown-ups around her. She gives them the courage to come to terms with the fact that she herself is mortally ill.

Films of the 14plus competition, which are recommended for children aged 14 and up, deal with definitions of obligation, especially as regards family structures...

Two strong characters come to mind in that context. First there’s Cobain from the mother-son story of the same name, who is torn between the prospect of a new life in a foster family - in a real home, maybe even one that provides a sense of safety and affection - and concern for his drug-addicted mother, who everyone else except him has already given up on. In a drastic yet at the same time sympathetic manner, the film shows how much energy Cobain spends on his attempts to tear his mom away from the drug scene. In Cobain, Nanouk Leopold tells us the story of a modern-day hero who is forced to grow up very early.

And then I think of the protagonist from Adam (directed by Maria Solrun). Adam is deaf - there is little common ground between the young man’s world and that of his mother, a Techno producer. He can only feel a connection with her through the heavy bass frequencies of her music. Adam longs for a normal life, alas one which is not in the cards for him. His gravely ill mother longs to break out of the hospital so that she can take her own life - and she demands that Adam help her. The expectation of accountability that one generation places on another is turned completely upside-down in both films. In addition, like other films in the 14plus competition, both films pose the question of what a young person desires, in vastly different configurations.

In Hans Weingartner’s 303, this year’s opening film for the 14plus competition, protagonists Jule and Jan also asks themselves questions of being and longing. They conduct a discourse on love and reveal widely varying facets connected to the concept.

Did you notice any exciting new cinematic approaches during your programme selection which you see as perhaps also representing a challenge for young audiences?

Most definitely, I can think of various examples in this regard. With Danmark (Denmark, directed by Kasper Rune Larsen) for instance we have a highly modern film in the 14plus programme. A so-called “slacker film”, in which the viewers watch a group of aimless young people as they do nothing, basically. On a cinematic level, this is executed in a very intelligent way and I think these new cinematic impulses from Denmark are exciting. There are a lot of young filmmakers out there that aren’t afraid to try out new things.

A further key film in our programme comes from another new wave: the South African production High Fantasy. Director Jenna Bass has created a real work of art here, on a stylistic, formal and thematic level as well. The film was shot almost exclusively using smartphones, thus transforming the characters themselves into cinematographers engaged in mutual documentation of one another. In the film, a mysterious body swap occurs that raises questions of identity as well as the question of who is who and who is the one filming at the moment. The director explores the boundaries of the digital world and tests how far we can go in cinema and film in this regard. At the same time, High Fantasy is a highly political film that expresses a position regarding South Africa’s post-apartheid present while raising questions on the subject of body politics.

The short film Juck, directed by Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert and Ulrika Bandeira and screening in the 14plus programme, also deals with body politics in a manner far removed from the typical clichés. The piece brilliantly profiles the eponymous Swedish performance collective, which confronts concepts of femininity and feminism in a manner that is both experimental and controversial.

The short film competitions, featuring a total of 35 productions from 25 countries, are a real roller coaster ride in any case, both stylistically and thematically. In this year’s Kplus programme there are a lot of animated films, including atypical ones, such as Phil Brough’s short film Fire in Cardboard City, which creates a three-dimensional world out of cardboard. With Lost & Found by Andrew Goldsmith and Bradley Slabe, we have a veritable romantic drama starring two crocheted stuffed animals in the programme. The world premieres of these short films are going to be very special moments once again - for us but also for our really young viewers. The kids are excited, since it’s often their very first encounter with cinema.

Following the film screenings at Generation, the young viewers will once again have the opportunity to share their opinions on the films by filling out your survey forms. How do you engage with their feedback?