Generation at 50: Crystal Bears Take Centre Stage at the Berlinale Palast

As Generation celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2027, the Berlinale is opening a new chapter for its pioneering programme for young audiences. Going forward, the section’s signature awards, the Crystal Bears, will be presented at the Berlinale’s main Awards Ceremony in the Berlinale Palast.

A refreshed programme structure will create new opportunities to reach children, teenagers and families more deeply across the whole Festival, while also delivering a stronger impact for filmmakers and distributors.

Sebastian Markt, Section Head of Generation says: “Since its inauguration in 1978, Generation has championed the belief that young audiences deserve ambitious cinema. Children and teenagers aren’t simply the audiences of tomorrow. They are audiences now, engaging with films through their own curiosity, intelligence and perspectives.”

Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle adds: “As Generation turns 50, we celebrate that legacy while making it even more visible across the Berlinale. Bringing the Crystal Bears to the Berlinale Palast puts our young juries and the filmmakers they honour on the Festival’s biggest stage. With new additions to the successful programme, our ambition is both cultural and practical: Many of us fell in love with cinema when we were young, and we want Generation to inspire that same lifelong connection while helping exceptional films reach more audiences around the world.”

At the heart of Generation will remain its competitive programme for the Crystal Bears, comprising twelve to fourteen international feature-length films. The awards will continue to be decided by young audiences themselves: a Generation Kplus Jury of children and a Generation 14plus Jury of teenagers. For the first time, the Crystal Bears will be presented at the Berlinale’s main Awards Ceremony in the Berlinale Palast on February 19, 2027.

A new non-competitive strand, Generation Premieres, will present four to six films with broad audience appeal. Presented in major venues across the Festival, these premieres are designed to introduce new and larger audiences of different age groups to the cinema and festival experience.

Expanding Berlinale’s role as a central hub for the children’s and youth film industry, Generation will also connect more closely with the industry activities of Berlinale Pro, particularly the European Film Market (EFM). This will create greater opportunities for filmmakers working in children’s and youth cinema to meet the international industry and support wider theatrical distribution for their films.

Generation was founded in 1978 as the Kinderfilmfest, establishing one of the world’s first dedicated places for cinema for young audiences within an A-list festival. In 2004, the programme expanded with the introduction of 14plus, a competition specifically for audiences aged 14 and over. In 2007, the section was renamed Generation, bringing the children’s and youth programmes together under a nowadays internationally known Berlinale brand for quality cinema. At the heart of the section is the belief that young audiences are curious, engaged viewers with their own critical voices. The programme seeks out films that resonate strongly with children and teenagers while also appealing to other audiences.

The Crystal Bears are unique among the Berlinale’s major awards: the winning films are chosen by the audiences they were made for, with children and teenagers judging them on their own terms. Over the years, the Crystal Bears have recognised films and filmmakers from around the world, from Ntshavheni Wa Luruli’s The Wooden Camera, winner of the first Crystal Bear in the 14plus competition, to more recently Michel Gondry’s Maya, Give Me a Title, which received the Crystal Bear in 2025. The Quiet Girl, directed by Colm Bairéad, was honoured with a Jury Special Mention in 2022 and went on to become the first Irish-language film nominated for the International Feature Oscar.