english | Generation Reports

Windows of revolution – interview with the directors of Memories of a Window

19Feb

Windows of revolution – interview with the directors of Memories of a Window

One of the most moving and politically urgent films in this year's Berlinale program is the Iranian shot film Memories of a window by Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar. The film documents the Women, Life, Freedom protest in Iran in 2022 and the brutal oppression of the Iranian regime. At the same time, it is a poetic and deeply beautiful call to fight for your rights.I was eager to get to know the filmmakers behind this remarkable documentary. Since they couldn't make it to Berlin, we met online and I am very happy to be to share our conversation here. Amin Pakparvar and Mehraneh Salimian are both from Iran where they studied at Tehran University of Art. In 2023 they moved to Chicago to study at the Art Institute of Chicago. As Mehraneh explains they are partners in crime, in lif...

18Feb

By Amaru JarrínNo Comments

Review, Review

matapanki

Matapanki“ es una película chilena sobre un joven punk que consigue super poderes después de beber una mezcla entre vino barato, tequila y vodca y decide convertirse en superhéroe, pero esta película es mucho más que otra historia mainstream de superhéroes, es una crítica al gobierno chileno, a estados unidos y al capitalismo. Con el paso de la película el personaje principal se va encontrando con diferentes problemáticas en la política Latinoamericana tales como la violencia policial, el desfavorable sistema de salud y la desaparición forzada de gente por parte del gobierno, aunque estos temas no se tratan de manera explícita atreves de la película están presentes casi todo el tiempo y tienen un peso continuo en esta historia. Además se critica fuertemente a USA y a su actual presidente q...

15Feb

By Liv ThastumNo Comments

Film and Poetry, Review

There are no heroes left in the world

A poem written as reaction to the film „Not a hero“ by Rima Das houses transform into treesbig streets to forest roads a boy is sent to the village suddenly the only highway around, is the ant trail on top of the trunk “he can’t even read assamese“ say the children at school your parents left the language behind forgot the words in the village as they moved to the city when you look closely at the words their shapes transform into their meaning . গছ is a tree ঘোঁৰা is a horse বন্ধু is a friend . it all makes sense: "sometimes I talk to the trees" says the girl "sometimes I talk to myself" says the boy don’t be afraid to cry boy nature does it all the time the trees need the water there are no heroes left in the world just us Read also: Rain exhaus...

System-critical drama with a lot of heart and humor

20Feb

By ClaraNo Comments

Review

System-critical drama with a lot of heart and humor

a review on "Sunshine" Sunshine stands on the gymnastics mat, her competition suit bearing the Philippine national flag. All around her, everything goes quiet. She closes her eyes, fully concentrated. Music starts, people cheer, Sunshine opens her eyes, smiles and starts her performance. Making it to the Philippine national team and competing for her country in rhythmic gymnastics at the Olympics is Sunshine's (Maris Racal) greatest wish. She has been training for this every day for over 10 years, everything revolves around the sport and her goal is within her sights - when she suddenly faints during training and finds out that she is pregnant after taking a secret pregnancy test. Completely overwhelmed by the situation, Sunshine has to find a way to deal with it, because abortions a...

Waiting until it gets dark – about one of America’s most dangerous migration routes

20Feb

By Liv ThastumNo Comments

Background, Film and Poetry

Waiting until it gets dark – about one of America’s most dangerous migration routes

Critique, background article, and poem on the short film Atardecer en América And suddenly, an uncontrollable sadness rises from my stomach, and I feel the tears running. I sit there in front of my computer, in the midst of my research, and find myself crying. I see the images from the short film reappear, I watch the landscape – the Altiplano high plateau – vanish; people, animals, and nature disappear. I see people dying. I hear the buzzwords from the articles I’ve read: Venezuela – the world’s second largest exodus, 7.7 million people, plus climate refugees, drought, rising temperatures, 7,000 kilometers from Venezuela to Chile, and countless unreported cases. “Atardecer en América” – Sunset over America – is the title of the short film that moved me so deeply and led me to the re...

Lightness and Strength in Harmony with Nature

18Feb

By SarahNo Comments

Review

Lightness and Strength in Harmony with Nature

A review of Village Rockstars 2 With Village Rockstars 2, Rima Das returns to the Berlinale. In 2019, she received a Special Mention from the International Jury of Berlinale Generation for Bulbul Can Sing and in 2020, she was a member of the International Jury herself. Now comes Village Rockstars 2, the sequel to her 2017 feature film. However, prior knowledge of the first film is not necessary to immerse oneself in this story. In fact, the title, which suggests a straightforward continuation, somewhat understates how valuable and independent this film truly is. From the very beginning, the breathtaking landscapes stand out. Captured in rich colors, nature is illuminated from all angles. It plays a central role—not merely as a backdrop, but as a source of s...

Between Tradition and Self-determination

16Feb

By ClaraNo Comments

Background

Between Tradition and Self-determination

a review on "Uiksaringitara" With the world premiere of “Uiksaringitara” (The Wrong Husband), director Zacharias Kunuk returns to the Berlinale program after several years, attracting not only the attention of generation audience. Kunuk is considered one of the most important Inuit filmmakers and co-founded the first independent Inuit production company, Isuma. Isuma is intended to give Inuit filmmakers a platform and enable self-determination. Since the 1990s, Kunuk has been producing and directing films by, with and about Inuit and has won several awards. Like Kunuk's previous films, “Uiksaringitara” tells the story of people from the Inuit community: The story is set 4000 years ago in the Canadian Arctic region of Nunavut. Kaujak (Theresia Kappianaq) and Sapa (Haiden Angutimarik) ...

24Feb

By ClaraNo Comments

Review

Together it’s going to be okay

a review on „It’s okay“. Dancing is at the centre of In-young's (Lee Re) life. A year after her mother's death, dancing still gives her comfort and feelings of strength and security, because professional dancing was also a dream for In-young's mother, which In-young wants to fulfil for her and herself. On the outside, In-young always seems happy and full of life, but on the inside, the teenager has to deal with problems that no one her age should have to face: In-young has lived alone since her mother's death, has no guardian and avoids the child care services, which appear at her door from time to time. With her small mini-job in a convenience store, however, she can hardly afford the rent, which is why In-young is kicked out of her flat and decides to secretly stay at her dance s...

23Feb

By ClaraNo Comments

Background

About strong daughters and mothers

a review on "Reinas" Lima, Peru, 1992: The country is facing political and economic crises and challenges. While the economy collapses and drastic inflation burdens the citizens, terror and violence are on the political agenda. In April 1990, elections are held, which Alberto Fujimori wins with his newly founded "Change 90" party. He is seen by the population as a political outsider who stands up for disadvantaged groups and wants to take action against terrorism and corruption. He is supposedly fighting terrorism with his policy by handing out weapons to the local communities so that they can defend themselves against terror. In addition, the executive is no longer taking action against basic terrorism, but rather against individual groups suspected of terrorism. Today, the Inter-Am...