The Berlin International Film Festival has announced the full lineup for its 2025 Generation section, which spotlights children and youth films. The Generation 2025 competition will open with Brendan Canty’s Christy. The film follows a teenage boy from Cork, Ireland, navigating his place in the world while also sorting through the shadows of his family’s past. The opening film for the Generation Kplus section is called The Nature Of Invisible Things. This film explores a community’s support of two girls as they navigate all of the farewells and new beginnings of life.
The competition lineup features Seaside Serendipity by Satoko Yokohama, an episodic film that takes place on a Japanese island. The film blends magical realism with everyday life, asking the question of where art and life intersect. Wrong Husband by Zacharias Kunuk, takes viewers to a mystical Canadian Artic world, where human and spirit realms collide in a tale about young love. Antoinette Jadaone’s emotional film Sunshine follows a young girl on a self-discovery journey, and Paternal Leave, by Alissa Jung, follows a teenager’s quest to discover her unknown father, leading to more personal revelations.
Three documentaries bring other unique perspectives. Directed by Anna Koch and Julia Lemke, Circusboy, offers a glimpse into the circus world through the eyes of a young boy based on his great-grandfather’s stories. Lucia Murat’s Playtime explores how mostly Black youth experience a mix of violence, racism, and misogyny in Rio de Janeiro schools. Robin Petré’s Only On Earth delves into humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife, featuring visuals of horses threatened by forest fires.
The Generation 2025 program also includes several animated features. Michel Gondry will present his latest animated film, Maya, Give Me a Title. The film was described by Gondry as a “stop-motion love letter to his daughter Maya,” to Berlin. Another stop-motion picture from the omnibus feature titled Tales from the Magic Garden explores three children dealing with grief by using the power of their imagination. The Chinese feature from director Li Wenyu, A Story about Fire, re-tells the legend of Ran Bi Wa, a monkey raised by humans on a quest to the Holy Mountain to steal fire for humankind. In a special screening, Underage, directed by Caru Alves de Souza, taps into youth and conflict with state authorities through an anti-naturalistic lens, also reflecting on justice and systemic injustice.
Click here for the full list of Generation titles.
