EXBERLINER Issue 168, February 2018

WHAT’S ON — Berlinale 2018
Denmark
who come to us and say, “You
cannot show that to young
people, it’s traumatising.”
When we ask the children,
they say they totally got it
and really liked the film.
So there’s that sometimes
misguided desire to protecting
children from the evils
of this world... But of course
we’re very careful and value
feedback from our audiences
every year.
How far do you go with
portrayals of sex, for
example? Kplus is more like
the first kiss; 14plus the first
sex. Of course it’s very individual,
and it’s got a lot to do
with the way it’s told. In 2016
we gave the film Las Plantas
a 16-plus because of the very
graphic sex. But these are only recommendations.
We don’t ask for IDs; we just make
sure than no nine-year-olds come to 14plus.
So are there any taboos? Mostly sexual
abuse, adult to child. Quite a few films deal
with the topic, but that remains a limit we
set for ourselves. I wouldn’t feel comfortable
treading that territory.
Any potentially disturbing films this
year? We have a documentary in Kplus,
Ceres, which I expect to trigger some
discussion. It portrays the life of young
people growing up on farms in Belgium,
their closeness to nature and the cycle of
A SECRET
Generation is the only
Berlinale section that
under-18 audiences
can attend – most
films in the festival’s
other sections haven’t
been rated by the censors
yet, so (officially)
no children allowed!
A TIP
Generation tickets
are cheaper! Here’s a
chance to watch Wes
Anderson’s Berlinale
opener Isle of Dogs for
€4 instead of €12.
life – which includes death,
and at some point, animal
slaughter. Some people will
find it shocking – “Oh my god, I can’t watch
that pig being slaughtered, how can you
torture our children watching that?” I know
it will happen, and I’m prepared for it. I’m
actually really interested in the discussion.
So the realities of farm life are as
shocking as it gets? What about the
14plus section? This year’s film Denmark
has some pretty explicit dialogue
about pegging, rimming and watersports...
Denmark is one of three films
dealing with love, each basically showing
two young people getting close to each
other and discussing what love is in unexpectedly
grown-up but also refreshingly
touching ways. In German director Hans
Weingartner’s 303, it takes three-fourths of
the movie before the two kiss for the first
time... before that, they explore and talk
about love and relationships the whole trip
from Berlin to Barcelona. And then there’s
that first kiss, and it’s amazing. There’s a lot
of terrible things happening in this world,
and we have a lot of “shit happens” films in
our programme, so I was determined this
year to also show films that make you feel
very good and positive.
Most films you screen during the festival
are in foreign languages; there’s no dubbing,
only voiceover or subtitles, mostly
English ones. Isn’t that a major challenge
for films aimed at young audiences?
The mantra in Germany is that for a good
release for any film – not just the children’s
ones – you need a synchronised version. So,
of course, it’s very unusual for this country
to see a hall filled with children listening to
films in their original language, either with
a voice-over translation or with subtitles,
Estiu
which they have to read. We got a lot of flak
for it. But it works! No children have been
traumatised by that; on the contrary. So the
adults who complain about it are probably
the ones who are challenged by it.
The section was renamed from Kinderfilmfest
to Generation in 2006. Were
you making a point by removing the
word “children”? We actually had a lot
of criticism when we took away the word
“children” – do you hate children now, or
what? Unfortunately, when you hear that
label Kinderfilm, it is loaded with prejudices
and expectations; mostly that the films
should “behave” appropriately with a beginning,
a middle and a happy ending... Those
are not the films we show. I remember
when Rasmus Horskjær [of the Danish Film
Institute, and a Generation juror in 2012]
was once interviewed about his ideal youth
film, and he said “A Clockwork Orange”!
Any particularly memorable moments
from the 25 years you’ve been involved?
Years ago, I moderated my first ever Q&A
for the section. We’d just screened The Life
of a Young Accordion Player by Kazakhstan’s
Satybaldy Narymbetov. The first question
came from an adult who thought the film
was totally unsuitable for a younger audience,
and asked why it was being screened
in the section. The eccentric director, a
self-proclaimed “Casanova of Kazakhstan”,
answered he had no idea why, that he’d
never thought about younger audiences
viewing his film and that there was no
justification for this selection! I remember
thinking it would be nice to be able to sink
into the floor at that moment. Fortunately,
we managed to change the mood by shifting
the attention to questions and comments
from the young (from nine years of age) and
indeed appreciative audience. ■
Les Faux Tatouages
FEBRUARY 2018
25