Generation Awards and Juries
In this section the members of the Children's and Youth Jurys are no older than those of the audience. They award the best films with Crystal Bears. Special Mentions are given for outstanding achievements. The International Jury presents further prizes in the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competition.
Children's Jury Generation Kplus
The members of the Children's Jury Generation Kplus - Elisabeth Christenfeldt, Frederik Hammer, Kali Marsh, Roza Papastefanou, Paula Amélie Riedel, Nanami Lina Rohrer, Juni Spanier - award the following prizes:
Crystal Bear for the Best Film
It’s Okay!
by Kim Hye-young
Jury Statement:
This film took us on a humorous and emotional rollercoaster ride with the courageous protagonist. We witnessed how two very different characters found each other and that life shouldn’t be ruled by perfectionism. We particularly liked the dance sequences, which gave us insights into a culture that was foreign to us.
Special Mention
Young Hearts
by Anthony Schatteman
Jury Statement:
A romantic and creative film that evoked many emotions and moved us in a magical way. The realistic journey of two young people falling in love brilliantly delivers the message: love whomever you want!
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film
Papillon (Butterfly)
by Florence Miailhe
Jury Statement:
An entire life story is told in a child-friendly and exciting way in a very short space of time. The beautifully painted images are rounded off by fascinating transitions. The thought-provoking story of a swimmer delivers the message: No room for racism and anti-Semitism in our world! Together, we can achieve this!
Special Mention
Sukoun (Amplified)
by Dina Naser
Jury Statement:
The realistic depiction made it easy for us to identify very well with the feelings of a girl. We saw and heard how her world became distorted by an unexpected assault. Sexual violence concerns us all and should be addressed more!
Youth Jury Generation 14plus
The members of the Youth Jury Generation 14plus – Erik Lars Dziergwa, Viola Holland, Cynthia Kuo-Lo, Solace Pieper, Sea Starzacher – have awarded the following prizes:
Crystal Bear for the Best Film
Last Swim
by Sasha Nathwani
Jury Statement:
A film that really stayed with us tells a story about the beauty of life and of things coming to an end. It is a film that does not shy away from portraying the messy and consuming feelings that can arise when you know your dreams may not be fulfilled. However, it also invites the viewer into the joyful and lively world of a teenager and her friends as they celebrate their youth. This masterful balance between fear and loneliness our main protagonist tries to suppress, and her joy as she spends time with her friends is what enraptured us and is the reason why we chose this film.
Special Mention
Kai Shi De Qiang (She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones)
by Qu Youjia
Jury Statement:
For us, this film was love at first sight. It is a tender depiction of two characters who are drawn to each other by both fate and their own uniqueness. The film follows these two characters with an almost poetic flow as it explores the multitude of ways one can be extraordinary. Rich with a quiet beauty and rife with symbolism, it offers a window into the lives of these two teens and their intricate personalities, and permits the viewer entry into a world that is not their own.
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film
Cura sana
by Lucía G. Romero
Jury Statement:
A movie that deeply moved us all was able to evoke a wide range of emotions within us, encompassing feelings from sadness and anger to tenderness and love. Supported by stunning visuals, the film authentically follows the struggles of a young person. It creates an intimate insight into their life so that all emotions and actions are tangible, even if our own personal circumstances significantly differ from theirs.
Special Mention
Lapso (Lapse)
by Caroline Cavalcanti
Jury Statement:
This film is a powerful yet unique love story of two teenagers. Where it really shines is its ability to inspire the viewer to empathize with two characters that have very different circumstances and challenges. Together with them, we embark on a journey of learning that provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of two people whom the world has not taken the time to comprehend. The film is truly a celebration of how the courage to understand can be immensely powerful and overcome barriers.
Generation International Jury 2024
The members of the Generation International Jury – Amjad Abu Alala, Banafshe Hourmazdi and Ira Sachs – award the following prizes:
The Grand Prix of the International Jury for the Best Film in Generation Kplus
Reinas
by Klaudia Reynicke
Jury Statement:
For a film in which the acting, the light, the characters, and the story are all working in tandem and great symmetry, a film of everyday familial life that at the same time gives voice to a country, Peru, and its very specific political history.
Special Mention Generation Kplus
Raíz (Through Rocks and Clouds)
by Franco García Becerra
Jury Statement:
For a beautifully made film that contains in its images the strongest feelings of childhood, a film in which the social and the political frame an indelible story of a young Peruvian boy’s friendship with animals, particularly with his beloved dog and his cherished alpaca.
The Special Prize of the International Jury for the Best Short Film in Generation Kplus
A Summer’s End Poem
by Lam Can-zhao
Jury Statement:
For a film in which a haircut becomes a metaphor for the journey of self-discovery for a very charismatic Chinese teenager; a film by a filmmaker who understands that the profundity of adolescent life can be found in the travails of the everyday.
Special Mention Generation Kplus
Uli
by Mariana Gil Ríos
Jury Statement:
For a film that balances observational cinema with the feeling of a fairy tale – to raise questions of both gender and childhood, without forcing answers.
The Grand Prix of the International Jury for the Best Film in Generation 14plus
Comme le feu (Who by Fire)
by Philippe Lesage
Jury Statement:
For a deeply original film made by an artist who isn’t afraid to take chances, a work of cinema that seems both very new and also rooted in the history of drama, from Chekhov to Bergman, creating a precise portrait of a particular social milieu; a film full of life’s contradictions – love and hate, maturity and childishness, beauty and violence; a work of art in which the foibles and failures of adult life reflect the troubling futures of the young protagonists.
Special Mention Generation 14plus
Maydegol
by Sarvnaz Alambeigi
Jury Statement:
For a film that is in itself a political act, using the tools of verité cinema to tell the story of a young Afghan woman living without papers, or autonomy, in Iran, a film in which the strength and fortitude of the protagonist radiates from the screen.
The Special Prize of the International Jury for the Best Short Film in Generation 14plus
Un pájaro voló (A Bird Flew)
by Leinad Pájaro De la Hoz
Jury Statement:
For a film that uses the poetry of cinema to express the emotions of life and loss and sadness; a film shot in Cuba that examines masculinity with the most sensitive of images, never forgetting that the unspoken – the mystery found in life and art – remains the most beautiful thing in cinema.
Special Mention Generation 14plus
Songs of Love and Hate
by Saurav Ghimire
Jury Statement:
For a film that understands that the beautiful fragility of cinema mirrors the tenderness of our most personal human relationships; a film from Nepal that effortlessly connects the experience of love to the restrictions of a society and culture.
Prizes in the competition Generation Kplus
- Crystal Bear for the Best Film
- Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film
- The Grand Prix of the Generation International Jury for the Best Film, endowed with €7,500 by the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk (The Children’s Charity of Germany)
- The Special Prize of the Generation International Jury for the Best Short Film, endowed with €2,500 by the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk (The Children’s Charity of Germany)
Prizes in the competition Generation 14plus
- Crystal Bear for the Best Film
- Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film
- The Grand Prix of the Generation International Jury for the Best Film, endowed with €7,500 by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
- The Special Prize of the Generation International Jury for the Best Short Film, endowed with €2,500 by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
The Children’s and the Youth Jury
The youngest official Berlinale juries are staffed by seven Berlin children aged eleven to 14 for the Generation Kplus competition and five young people for the Generation 14plus competition. Independently of the International Juries, they award the Crystal Bears for the best short and long films. All young festival visitors who have shared their thoughts and comments on Generation films via the film questionnaires can qualify for participation in the Children’s or Youth Jury.