25/02/2023 - BERLINALE 2023: Sofía Auza’s unconventional boy-meets-girl fairy tale has triumphed in Generation 14plus, while Jub Clerc’s coming-of-age flick emerged victorious in Generation Kplus

The awards for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus sections of the 73^rd Berlinale, which this year runs from 16-26 February, have just been unveiled.

Starting with Generation 14plus, the members of the Youth Jury Generation 14plus – Leia Haarhuis, Leo Hanstein, Anna Lena Hiemer, Anouk Segebart and Jonas Volkers – awarded the Crystal Bear for Best Film to Sofía Auza’s Adolfo (USA/Mexico). In their statement, the jury members said: “Through an unexpected, yet intense, encounter between strangers and their witty humour, we accompany two fundamentally different people through an enchanting night full of colours, thoughts and poetic-philosophical dialogues. The film won us over thanks to its attention to detail, with which it draws inspiring characters who try to come to terms with their past and, at the same time, look towards the future.”

Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck’s And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Axel Danielson, Maximilien …
film profile] (Sweden/Denmark) was singled out with a Special Mention thanks to “its unique style and humorous as well as creative storytelling about a technology you are all familiar with. […] We particularly liked the use of colourful excerpts from a wide variety of sources which, when put together, still form a unit,” they added.

As for the section’s international jury – made up of Kateryna Gornostai, Fion Mutert and Juanita Onzaga – its Grand Prix for Best Film in the Generation 14plus section, endowed with €7,500, was awarded to Hummingbirds (USA) by Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía “Beba” Contreras. “For a touching and subtle glimpse into the intimate moments of memorable characters that grow within their friendship. Their self-determination and playfulness, as both protagonists and authors, are inspiring. Their actions, jokes, songs, laughter and bodies are political and necessary as a form of resistance,” reads the jury statement.

Moving on to the Generation Kplus section, the youth jury, comprising Luan Faik Can, Valerie Louise Da Silva Matos, Timon Mahlke, Nina Marie Stellmacher, Defne Frida Sungu, Enno Winch and Jerrit Wunder, awarded the Crystal Bear for Best Film to Sweet As, directed by Jub Clerc (Australia). The jury labelled it “a film that touched us by virtue of the personal stories of the characters and its impressive backdrops”. A Special Mention was also bestowed upon Domien Huyghe’s Sea Sparkle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Domien & Wendy Huyghe
film profile] (Belgium/Netherlands), which the jury described as the story of “a determined and enraged young girl who never gave up hope, which caused us tension as well as sadness,” with “the rough sea and the music [creating] a great atmosphere”.

Next, the Generation Kplus international jury, sponsored by the Children’s Charity of Germany and including Marco Alessi, Venice Atienza and Gudrun Sommer, bestowed its Grand Prix for Best Film, endowed with €7,500, upon Mira Fornay’s She – Hero [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Slovakia). “From its very first shot, this film had the jury under its spell,” the jurors admitted. “All manner of issues, characters and complexities meet in the enchanted microcosm of the forest, which sets the stage for its wilful, young protagonist. This film celebrates ingenuity, creativity and openness. Through its tone, pace and humorous spirit, it beautifully walks the tightrope between reality and fantasy. This is the story of a young girl looking for a bird,” they continued.

Finally, Jenna Hasse’s Longing for the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Switzerland) scooped a Special Mention. In particular, the jury members were struck by “this film’s quiet and rich portrayal of its protagonist’s evolving desires”, as “it depicts a constellation of lost characters stuck in states of transition, and offers a surprising, poetic, multi-generational take on the coming-of-age narrative”.

The full list of award winners is as follows:

Generation 14plus

Feature films

Crystal Bear
Adolfo – Sofía Auza (USA/Mexico)
Special Mention
And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Axel Danielson, Maximilien …
film profile] – Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck (Sweden/Denmark)

Generation 14plus International Jury Grand Prize
Hummingbirds – Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras (USA)
Special Mention
Mutt – Vuk Lungulov-Klotz (USA)

Short films

Crystal Bear for Best Short Film
And Me, I’m Dancing Too – Mohammad Valizadegan (Iran/Germany/Czech Republic)
Special Mention
From the Corner of My Eyes – Domonkos Erhardt (Hungary)

Generation 14plus International Jury Award for Best Short Film
Infantry – Laís Santos Araújo (Brazil)
Special Mention
Incroci – Francesca de Fusco (Italy)

Generation Kplus

Feature films

Crystal Bear
Sweet As – Jub Clerc (Australia)
Special Mention
Sea Sparkle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Domien & Wendy Huyghe
film profile] – Domien Huyghe (Belgium/Netherlands)

Generation Kplus International Jury’s Grand Prize
She – Hero [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Mira Fornay (Slovakia)
Special Mention
Longing for the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Jenna Hasse (Switzerland)

Short films

Crystal Bear for Best Short Film
Queenie – Lloyd Lee Choi (USA)
Special Mention
Dede Is Dead – Philippe Kastner (Czech Republic)

Generation Kplus International Jury Award for Best Short Film
Waking up in Silence – Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi (Germany/Ukraine)
Special Mention
Xiaohui and His Cows – Xinying Lao (China)