Generation Awards and Juries
Children's Jury Generation Kplus
The members of the Children's Jury Generation Kplus - Walter Moritz Arndt, Gustav Arnz, Thabani Dabulamanzi, Rosa Sophie Krasznahorkai, Vera Marsh, Emir Efe Özeren und Alma Sofia Villanueva Bullemer - award the following prizes:
Crystal Bear for the Best Film
Feito Pipa (Gugu’s World)
by Allan Deberton
Jury Statement:
The emotions of each individual character touched us deeply. We were swept away by the exciting story, as if we were part of the action. Important issues were addressed that deserve more attention.
Special Mention
Not a Hero
by Rima Das
Jury Statement:
A normal boy from the city suddenly has to find his way in the countryside. There, he discovers life, finds new friends, and himself. A funny film with great actors that takes us on an emotional adventure.
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film
Whale 52 – Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale
by Daniel Neiden
Jury Statement:
Our hearts were touched by two lonely souls who found a common frequency. The unique drawing style brought emotions and deep feelings to the light.
Special Mention
Under the Wave off Little Dragon
by Luo Jian
Jury Statement:
The plot was creative and cute. The diva wasn't arrogant, but down-to-earth. The special camera work provided a good perspective on the story.
Youth Jury Generation 14plus
The members of the Youth Jury Generation 14plus – Lorin Aktaş, Sherwin Lo-Kuo, Minou Monfared, Elda Pfäfflin and Curt Willemeit – have awarded the following prizes:
Crystal Bear for the Best Film
Chicas Tristes (Sad Girlz)
by Fernanda Tovar
Jury Statement:
This film packs a punch. Calmness, uncertainty, and strength are conveyed in a powerful, sensitive way. The deep friendship and love between the characters is strengthened by support and solidarity. Each frame seems like a story in itself, conveying the overall narrative. The interplay of images, colours and emotions draws us into the story. The film asks questions, is complex and leaves room to find oneself, to tell people’s stories and to overcome problems. We found this particularly impressive and convincing.
Special Mention
A Family
by Mees Peijnenburg
Jury Statement:
In this film, you could sense every emotion and feel every tear through the screen, which really highlighted the talent of the actors. The film managed to make many of us feel seen. The topic is one that affects one in three children in Berlin. Despite its importance, it is often underestimated because it is not uncommon in society. It is an incredibly well-written story that has also been brought to life in an incredibly captivating way. A masterpiece that deserves a Special Mention.
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film
Memories of a Window
by Mehraneh Salimian, Amin Pakparvar
Jury Statement:
The short film impresses with its raw brutality and sensitive beauty. In an impressive and very personal way, it left a lasting impression on us. In its effective documentary form, it manages to make hope tangible and provoke thought long after the credits have rolled.
Special Mention
Allá en el cielo (Nobody Knows the World)
by Roddy Dextre
Jury Statement:
Through its artistic beauty and distinctive narrative style, the film perfectly conveys a sense of life, death, and brutality. A harsh reality that hits you unexpectedly. A beautiful interplay between violence and forgiveness, where parties and death collide. By renouncing revenge, breaking away, and letting go, the cycle of violence is broken.
Generation International Jury 2026
The members of the Generation International Jury – Khozy Rizal, Lena Urzendowsky and Kim Yutani – award the following prizes:
The Grand Prix of the International Jury for the Best Film in Generation Kplus
Feito Pipa (Gugu’s World)
by Allan Deberton
Jury Statement:
This film captivated us with its vibrant storytelling and the multifaceted, assured, and fierce young protagonist and the often humorous and moving ways it addresses his existential issues. We were enchanted by the memorable performances by Yuri Gomes and Teca Pereira, and we won’t forget the character of Gugu, who is as athletic as he is fabulous, and is forced to advocate for himself as the rare bond he has with his grandmother fades away.
Special Mention Generation Kplus
Atlasul universului (Atlas of the Universe)
by Paul Negoescu
Jury Statement:
With a captivating lead performance, the film celebrates the courage to wander, revealing a journey where companionship emerges between human, animal, and place, stretching across countries through moments of shared kindness.
The Special Prize of the International Jury for the Best Short Film in Generation Kplus
Spî (White)
by Navroz Shaban
Jury Statement:
Through its quiet simplicity, refined craftsmanship, and children’s spellbinding performances, this film reminds us that even when it takes an entire village, cinema remains something deeply worth defending and passing on.
Special Mention Generation Kplus
Under the Wave off Little Dragon
by Luo Jian
Jury Statement:
This short film introduces us to the imaginary world of a little girl exploring the secrets of metaphors and the truth within fairytales. The poetic cinematography, the child’s humorous perspective on adults, and the charisma of the young actor Wang Kexin captivated us.
The Grand Prix of the International Jury for the Best Film in Generation 14plus
Chicas Tristes (Sad Girlz)
by Fernanda Tovar
Jury Statement:
With metaphorical and poetic underwater imagery and outstanding lead performances, this film affected us deeply with its humor, sadness, and realism. Addressing sexual violence and its aftermath, this film deftly explores the complex dynamics between two young women as they reconcile their emotions and friendship. This is an extraordinary, perfectly calibrated debut feature that is loving, loud, and alive.
Special Mention Generation 14plus
Matapanki
by Diego "Mapache" Fuentes
Jury Statement:
This vibrant and rebellious film pokes at fascism and defies all limitations through its punk rock energy, playful direction, and gorgeous stop motion animation.
The Special Prize of the Generation International Jury for the Best Short Film 14plus
The Thread
by Fenn O'Meally
Jury Statement:
The film has a lyrical way in portraying four perspectives of a family dealing with their thread of identities and how they are intertwined in their complex dynamic. The director captures these relationships with such quiet intensity, unfolding layer upon layer from the smallest details, that the film remains with us — living in our thoughts long after it concludes.
Special Mention Generation 14plus
Memories of a Window
by Mehraneh Salimian, Amin Pakparvar
Jury Statement:
This short form essay documents the importance of political films and the danger within the filming process for their makers. Through the framing of personal footage of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” revolution and the death of one of the filmmaker’s friends in a personal context, the film reminds us of the power of filmmaking in political battles.
Generation International Jury 2026
Khozy Rizal (Indonesia)
Khozy Rizal is an Indonesian director who started his career in 2021 with the short film Makassar is a City for Football Fans, which screened at Sundance. In 2023, his film Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival and was the first Indonesian short film competing for the Short Film Palme d’Or. It was screened at over 100 festivals, including Sundance, Clermont-Ferrand and AFI FEST. In 2025, his short film Little Rebels Cinema Club (2024) had its international premiere at Berlinale Generation Kplus and won the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film. Khozy Rizal is an alumnus of the Busan Asian Film Academy, the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, and Berlinale Talents.
Lena Urzendowsky (Germany)
Lena Urzendowsky, born in 2000, has an impressive track record as an actress. In 2015, she received the Grimme Award for her leading role in The White Rabbit. For her performance in Kokon, which celebrated its world premiere in the Generation section of the 2020 Berlinale, she was honoured with the Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Actress. She has been part of the ensemble of the Netflix series How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) (2019–2025) since its second season. Most recently, her performance in Mascha Schilinski's Sound of Falling (2025) was celebrated, winning the Jury Prize at Cannes and making the Oscar shortlist for Best International Feature Film. Since autumn 2025, she has been a permanent member of the Schauspielhaus Zürich ensemble.
Kim Yutani (USA)
Kim Yutani has been the Director of Programming of the Sundance Film Festival since 2018. Throughout her tenure, Yutani has overseen short films, curated panels, and expanded the international scope of the festival’s programming. Her programming direction has been instrumental in independent cinema, and her leadership has launched the careers of hundreds of filmmakers and counting. Yutani started her programming career at Outfest Los Angeles, where she was Artistic Director and Director of Programming. She is a member of AMPAS and the European Film Academy, and serves on various advisory boards. Prior to her film festival work, Yutani was a film critic and assistant to director Gregg Araki.
Applications to become members of the Children’s and Youth Jurys can be made via the film questionnaires that are distributed in the cinemas during the festival and are also available online. Generation is looking for children between the ages of 12 and 14 and young people of 14 and above who are curious about the Generation films and who are happy to share their enthusiasm for cinema with other people. No extensive knowledge of film nor festival experience is required.
The jury members watch all the films from the respective competitions and jointly award the Crystal Bears for the Best Film and Best Short Film to the filmmakers.
Since it is not possible to schedule all film screenings in the afternoon, participation in the jury also includes an exemption from school classes. The Generation team organises this exemption together with the jury members’ parents. Many schools support this unique experience.
The jury members should be from Berlin. During their time at the festival, they will be accompanied by two experienced supervision teams.
All films in the Generation programme are shown in their original language with English subtitles. Films from the Generation Kplus programme (Children’s Jury) are additionally presented with live German voice-over.
Here you can share your opinions about the Generation films and at the same time apply for next year's Youth Jury.
The film questionnaires for Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus:
Film questionnaire Kplus, PDF (555 KB)
Film questionnaire 14plus, PDF (568 KB)
The questionnaires are also forwarded to the participating filmmakers after the festival, so that they can find out first hand how their films were received by the Generation audience.