Berlinale 2010: Crystal Bears in the Generation14plus

The members of the Youth Jury in the Generation 14plus   Mara Erlenmaier Lea Huber David Köller Imke Mayer Lukas Monath Lorenz Nolting Lara Passfall   give the following awards:  

Crystal Bear for the Best Film:  

Neukölln Unlimited 

by Agostino Imondi und Dietmar Ratsch, Germany 2010 The winner of this year is an incredibly gripping movie that succeeds in fascinating its viewers and leaving them spellbound. It made us laugh, cry, cheer, and protest. It is a work of art that takes full advantage of the medium of cinema. This movie is a sole, wonderful choreography that leaves us breathless but not silent. We thank the directors for this great masterpiece and for making an exhilarating movie about the simple life of an extraordinary family.  

Special Mention:  

Dooman River 

by Zhang Lu, Republic of Korea / France 2009 At the end of the movie there was silence. We were stunned by the weight of the images, the insistent message and the stillness that this movie portrays. Every aspect of the movie shakes you to the core, acts as a wake-up call for something that the majority of our society does not know about. Without strong characters or music this movie develops a language of silence, which says more than any cry for help.  

Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film:  

Az Bad Beporsid  

by Batin Ghobadi, Iran 2009 This year's winner left us speechless, with few words. With imagery of incomparable harshness and intensity and an arrangement of sounds that surrounded us with a frame of silence. This movie opened the door on a culture, in which the unimaginable belongs to daily life. We are grateful for this work of art which was convincing both in detail and as a whole.  

Special Mention:  

Ønskebørn 

by Birgitte Stærmose, Denmark 2009 Our Special Mention goes to a movie that forces the audience to face the aged faces of a young generation still suffering the consequences of a repressive war. The movie captivates us by relentlessly confronting the protagonists, reinventing objectivity and with its extraordinary setting.   Award ceremony and screening of the winning film tonight at 7.30 p.m. at cinema Babylon