The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the shortlist for its GWFF Best First Feature Award including projects from China, Japan, Iran and Chile as well as the U.S.
The festival, which first launched the award for the next generation of filmmakers in 2006, is offering €50,000 (US$62,000) to the winners, to be split between the director and the producer as well as a high-quality viewfinder. The award is launched in association with Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrechten (GWFF), a society dedicated to safeguarding film and television rights
The winners of the award, which are split across its Competition, Panorama, Forum, Generation and Perspektive Deutsches Kino sections, will be announced at the official Award Ceremony in the Berlinale Palast on February 24. A three-person jury, which will decide the winner, consists of A Ciambra director Jonas Carpignano from Italy, Medal of Honour director Călin Peter Netzer from Romania and Noa Regev, executive director of the Jerusalem Cinematheque.
GWFF Best First Feature Award Shortlist:
Competition
Las herederas (The Heiresses)
Paraguay / Germany / Uruguay / Norway / Brazil / France
By Marcelo Martinessi
With Ana Brun, Margarita Irún, Ana Ivanova
Touch Me Not
Romania / Germany / Czech Republic / Bulgaria / France
By Adina Pintilie
With Laura Benson, Tómas Lemarquis, Christian Bayerlein, Grit Uhlemann, Hanna Hofmann, Seani Love, Irmena Chichikova
Panorama
Marilyn
Argentina / Chile
By Martín Rodríguez Redondo
With Walter Rodríguez, Catalina Saavedra, Germán de Silva, Ignacio Giménez, Rodolfo García Werner
La omisión (The Omission)
Argentina / Netherlands / Switzerland
By Sebastián Schjaer
With Sofía Brito, Lisandro Rodriguez, Malena Hernández Díaz, Victoria Raposo, Pablo Sigal
Rou quing shi (Girls Always Happy)
People’s Republic of China
By Yang Mingming
With Nai An, Yang Mingming, Zhang Xianmin, Li Qinqin, Huang Wei, Yuan Li
Xiao Mei
Taiwan
By Maren Hwang
With Chen Yi-Wen, Liu Kuan-Ting, Na Dow, Wu Chien-Ho, Yin Shin, Laurence Chiu, Chang Shao-Huai, Samantha Ko, Wu Kang-Jen, Jao Cincin
Forum
La cama (The Bed)
Argentina / Germany / Netherlands / Brazil
By Mónica Lairana
With Sandra Sandrini, Alejo Mango
Drvo (The Tree)
Portugal
By André Gil Mata
With Petar Fradelić, Filip Živanović, Sanja Vrzić
An Elephant Sitting Still
People’s Republic of China
By Hu Bo
With Zhang Yu, Peng Yuchang, Wang Yuwen, Liu Congxi
Kaotični život Nade Kadić (The Chaotic Life of Nada Kadić)
Mexico / Bosnia and Herzegovina
By Marta Hernaiz
With Aida Hadžibegović, Hava Đombić
Notes on an Appearance
USA
By Ricky D’Ambrose
With Keith Poulson, Tallie Medel, Bingham Bryant, Madeleine James
Generation
Blue Wind Blows
Japan
By Tetsuya Tomina
With Hizuki Tanaka, Tsubaki Tanaka, Yayako Uchida, Masato Hagiwara
El día que resistía (The Endless Day)
Argentina / France
By Alessia Chiesa
With Lara Rógora, Mateo Baldasso, Mila Marchisio
Dressage
Iran
By Pooya Badkoobeh
With Negar Moghaddam, Yasna Mirtahmasb, Baset Rezaei, Shabnam Moghaddami
Güvercin (The Pigeon)
Turkey
By Banu Sıvacı
With Kemal Burak Alper, Ruhi Sarı, Michal Elia Kamal, Demet Genç
Para Aduma (Red Cow)
Israel
By Tsivia Barkai Jacov
With Avigayil Koevary, Gal Toren, Moran Rosenblatt, Dana Sorin
Perspektive Deutsches Kino
Luz
Germany
By Tilman Singer
With Luana Velis, Jan Bluthardt, Julia Riedler, Nadja Stübiger, Johannes Benecke
Whatever Happens Next
Germany / Poland
By Julian Pörksen
With Sebastian Rudolph, Lilith Stangenberg, Peter René Lüdicke, Christine Hoppe, Eike Weinreich
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