Berlin Film Festival: ‘Lesbian Space Princess’ And ‘Maya, Give Me A Title’ Among Feature Film Winners
Animation came up strong at the 75th edition of the Berlin Film Festival, which concluded yesterday in Germany.
The Australian animated feature Lesbian Space Princess, from directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, won the Teddy Award for best queer feature. Hobbs and Varghese’s film was the only animated film among the 21 features eligible in the category.
Lesbian Space Princess world premiered at Berlin. Sales agent Blue Finch Films also presented the film at the accompanying European Film Market, but no word yet if any U.S. distributor has picked it up. The film’s synopsis:
The introverted Princess Saira, daughter of the flamboyant lesbian Queens of planet Clitopolis, is devastated when her girlfriend, the bounty hunter Kiki, suddenly breaks up with her for being too needy. When Kiki is kidnapped by the Straight White Maliens – forgotten incels of the future – Saira must leave the comforts of gay space to deliver the requested ransom: her Royal Labrys, the most powerful weapon known to lesbian kind. The only problem is… Saira doesn’t have it!
With just a 24-hour window to get the weapon and save Kiki, Saira finds herself on an inter-gay-lactic journey of self-discovery which includes encounters with a problematic spaceship and a new-found friendship with gay-pop runaway Willow. A riotous, candy-colored animated comedy adventure through the vastness of queer space.
Another winner was the French animated feature Maya, Give Me a Title (Maya, donne-moi un titre) from Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind). The film won the Crystal Bear for Best Film from the Generation Kplus children’s jury.
Gondry made the film based on prompts from his daughter Maya over a period of six years, beginning when she was four years old. Per the synopsis:
Maya and her dad, Michel Gondry, live in two different countries. In order to stay in touch, her dad asks her every evening, “Maya, give me a title”. Based on her answer, he creates a short animated reply in which Maya is the hero. Michel Gondry brings to life a poetic and amusing journey that will have the little ones dreaming…and the grown-ups smiling.
The jury said of the film: “The many small stories in one big story have given us a new perspective on the possibilities of filmmaking. We found the father-daughter relationship very touching. And the funny scenes put a smile on our faces.”
Gondry’s film will have its North American premiere next month at the New York International Children’s Film Festival.
In addition to the feature winners, multiple animated shorts won awards in various categories. Those winners include:
Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film)
Futsu no seikatsu (Ordinary Life)
by Yoriko Mizushiri (Japan, France)
Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards
Comment ça va? (How Are You?)
Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel (France)
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film Youth Jury Generation 14plus
Wish You Were Ear
Mirjana Balogh (Hungary)
The Special Prize of the International Jury for the Best Short Film in Generation Kplus
Autokar
Sylwia Szkiłądź (France, Belgium)
Special Mention Generation Kplus
Down in the Dumps
by Vera van Wolferen (Netherlands)