Berlin: The Berlin International Film Festival on Monday released the list of films to be screened under its Generation and Retrospective sections at the upcoming of the movie gala, with the former segment featuring a majority of its movies directed by women. The 71st edition of the prestigious film gala will take place in two parts, starting with the industry-focused, online-only event from March 1-5.
Aimed at the youth, Generation is a programme that celebrates the power of the imagination in feature films, animated and documentary forms and the organisers said this year they had selected 15 titles, which will be vying for the Crystal Bears, given to the best film in the two sub-categories. Section head Maryanne Redpath said these films in the line-up offer “a break to life as we know it right now” amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “The 15 films in this year’s Generation selection are an open invitation to go beyond the obvious, the dominant, and the loud and to take a closer look what’s beneath the surface. “They offer space and time to reflect upon the grandeur radiating from the diverse worlds young people are experiencing, which is often signified by the little things that mark their paths,” Redpath said in a statement shared on Berlinale’s official website.
Films in the Generation section compete in two sub-categories: Generation Kplus, which is aimed at those aged four and above, and Generation 14plus, which is aimed at those aged fourteen and above. According to the festival organisers, notably, many of the Generation films are made by women, the proportion of female directors is 60 per cent, in the Kplus competition even 75 per cent. “Strong-willed heroines set the tone in six of the eight films” in the Kplus competition category. The films in the Kplus category are — “Jong chak yeok (Short Vacation)” by Kwon Min-pyo and Seo Hansol from South Korea; Barbara Kronenberg’s “Mission Ulja Funk”, a Germany/Luxemburg/Poland production; Scandinavian film “Nelly Rapp – Monster Agent” by Amanda Adolfsson; “Una escuela en Cerro Hueso (A School in Cerro Hueso)” from Argentinian director Betania Cappato; documentary “Last Days at Sea” by Venice Atienza is a Philippines/Taiwan production; Hamy Ramezan’s “Ensilumi (Any Day Now)” from Finland; “Han Nan Xia Ri (Summer Blur)” from Chinese director Han Shuai, and Canadian film “Beans” directed by Tracey Deer.
“Tabija (The White Fortress)”, directed by Bosnian-Canadian director Igor Drljaca; “Stop-Zemlia” by Kateryna Gornostai from Ukraine; Swiss film “La Mif (The Fam)” by Fred Baillif; South Korean movie “Fighter” by Jero Yun; Yngvild Sve Flikke’s “Ninjababy”, a Norweigian film which is a blend of live action and animated elements; Danish documentary “From the Wild Sea” by Robin Petre, and American comic book writer and filmmaker Dash Shaw’s new animated film “Cryptozoo” are part of the Generation 14plus category. The festival also announced the Retrospective line-up, a section which brings works from international film history back to the big screen. Berlinale will screen 27 comedies under “No Angels – Mae West, Rosalind Russell & Carole Lombard” featuring the three American actors. These titles include West’s debut “Night After Night” (1932) and her 1933 classic “I’m No Angel”, co-starring Cary Grant; Lombard’s “No Man of Her Own” (1932) and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (1941); and Russell’s “Four’s a Crowd” (1938) and “Design for Scandal” (1941).
The films were chosen with a focus on the strict morality rules of the Motion Picture Production Code, which were increasingly enforced after 1934. Officially adopted in 1930 and dubbed the “Hays Code”, it was a voluntary system by which the Hollywood Studios agreed to uphold moral standards in filmmaking to avoid the censors’ knife. A second event at Berlinale, titled Summer Special, is scheduled to run June 9-20 and set to include physical screenings of the selection. An opening event and awards ceremony is also being planned. Berlinale was the last major European festival to be held before the continent went into COVID-19 lockdown in early March.
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