Part of a series of mini profiles on the movers and shakers that make the Berlinale one of the most important events in the international film calendar: the filmmakers, programmers, curators, industry promoters and visitors.Name & role: Florian Weghorn, Deputy Head of Berlinale Generation, the Berlinale section dedicated to young audiences. He started working at the festival in 2002 after graduating in film in Cologne and writing his thesis on melancholy in youth film.
This is my 12th Berlinale.
How many films did you watch in the run-up to announcing 60 short and feature films that make up Generation 2014? Around 1,600 films applied for Generation this year. It was a high mountain to climb and –to be honest– we sweated a lot. But we enjoyed each step on the path.
Why no German film in your section this year? We did watch German candidates during the selection process and unfortunately none of these films were a perfect match for this year’s programme. But we are happy to present three movies made with the strong support of German co-producers. Fruitful collaborations like these cross all boundaries.
Generation 14plus features the world premiere of Canada’s “3 Histoire d’Indiens (3 INDIAN TALES)” by Robert Morin. Why should we go and see it? Because it's a great film! We were gripped by Robert’s thoughtful mise-en-scene and the truthful insight his film gave us into the lives of the young protagonists. Authenticity embedded in an unforgettable cinematic experience, this is what we love in this and many other films of our programme.
The main difference between Berlinale and TIFF: The main similarity of both festivals: Very long queues with tirelessly enthusiastic cinema-goers.
Film you are most looking forward to seeing (again): The East German film “Ikarus”, made by the DEFA film director Heiner Carow, is going to be screened again during this festival. In this nearly 40-year-old Berlin film the tram rattles through the “Prenzlberg” as if it were today. We look forward to watching and discussing the story of young Matthias with a today’s audience of the same age.
interview by Jutta Brendemühl, Toronto
image: Filmmaker Edgar Reitz and Florian Weghorn at the Goethe Film Breakfast during TIFF 2013 c Goethe-Institut
