Berlinale 2026 celebrates unique youth films that deviate from conventional youth films with their clear structures and dialogue. In Saša Vajda's "The Lights, They Fall," we follow Ilay, a teenager whose mother is dying, through the outskirts of Berlin in a film that is light on dialogue but rich in emotion. Other films, such as Mees Peijnenburg's Dutch-language "A Family" and Fernanda Tovar's Mexican/Spanish/French co-production "Chicas tristes," also offer a deeper look into young lives without explicit explanation, while Diego Fuentes' "Matapanki" presents a unique alternative superhero story. These films are part of the Generation 14plus competition, which challenges young people to look beyond traditional film formats.

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