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Berlinale 2008: Crystal Bears and Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Awards in Generation Kplus

The members of the Kinderjury Generation Kplus

Justus Paul Bauch

Jana Marie Bussmann

Jesper Ole Ebbert

Tita-Antonia Hagen

Carl-Ludwig Hausl

Ntozake Iglesias

Max Kressner

Lisa Frederike Lassen

Joёlle Marianek

Lino Steinwärder

Nina-Liliht Völsch

give the following awards:

The Crystal Bear for the Best Feature Film goes to

Buda Az Sharm Foru Rikht by Hana Makmalbaf (Iran/France)

This film is exciting and provocative and at the same time it is very shocking. It is about a little girl who is struggling to be allowed to go to school. We were moved by the poignant way the film depicts how a country dominated by violence affects the everyday life of children. The film showed us the senselessness of just sending soldiers to a troubled region. More necessary are people who can convince children that violence is not the solution.

The Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film goes to

Nana by Warwick Thornton (Australia)

A little girl is talking about her special relationship with her dear old nana. She is always cooking for her granddaughter and looking after the old people in the village. But there’s another side to her as well. The film is funny and full of humour.

The Special Mention for a Feature Film goes to

Titanics ti liv by Grethe Bøe (Norway)

Great actors combined with an excitement and mystery were the ingredients which convinced us in this film. The story was also accompanied by wonderful music.

The Special Mention for a Short Film goes to

New Boy by Steph Green (Ireland)

The plot is easy to follow even though there is not much dialogue. The portrayal of the characters’ feelings touched us and swept us along and the reminder of Joseph’s earlier homeland gave us a realistic insight into his former life as well as his feelings. In the end we learned that having prejudices just isn’t worth it.

The members of the International Jury Generation Kplus

Yasmin Ahmad

Anna Justice

Omri Levy

Antonia Ringbom

give the following awards:

The Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix for the best feature film goes to

TOUS A L’OUEST! Une aventure de Lucky Luke by Olivier Jean-Marie (France)

A rollercoaster ride of laughs and adventures, delivered with great wit, genius, and humor. A film full of inventive visual gags combined with an intelligent use of music, mixing historical and modern life elements. A celebration of the joy of cinema.

The Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk Special Prize for the best short film goes to

Min morbror tyckte mycket om gult von Mats Olof Olsson (Sweden)

Lasting mererly 9 minutes this film leads us through a whole range of deep human emotions. An homage to all that is good in people, reminding us to be careful with the fragility surrounding us. A moving story told with simple masterly cinematic strokes.

The Special Mention is awarded to the film

Mutum by Sandra Kogut (Brazil/France)

A journey into a young boy’s life that leads you gently through a world infused with love as well as rejection, confusion and heartbreak. With a curious mix of dreamy, open-ended events, it paints a picture of remote Brazil with bursts of poetry and humanity.

The Special Mention is awarded to the film

POST! by Christian Asmussen and Matthias Bruhn (Germany)

A joyful film with inventive visual solutions, crazy anarchistic humor and a warm message about one man’s ability to make a whole community happy.