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Teenagers 2022

Neon Spring

Laine is 20 years old and loves techno rave parties. Her parents are each deep in their own world and barely speak to each other. Even though she lives with her father, she is the one taking care of her mischievous younger brother. Laine yearns to connect with her emotionally distant father, but mostly gets a cold shoulder. She finds release in the underground techno scene of Riga. There Laine meets young men and women who are just like her and even falls in love. The more things turn bleak at home, the more Laine gets swallowed by the party scene and puts herself and those close to her in danger.
“Neon Spring” is a coming of age film about finding your place in the world, looking to belong and the desperate need for human connection. Even though the film deals with complex issues, its approach is fresh, daring and very surprising, considering its country of origin.
Portraying Laine is the very impressive Marija Luize Melke, who also co-wrote the script with director Matiss Kaza. The result is an unapologetic and complex youth experience.

Viewing is 18+ due to to scenes of sexual violence and drug abuse.

Director in attendance.

Soy Nino

Bastian is a young trans boy from Chile who is facing a very difficult time – adolescence. It all becomes much harder when he has to devote most of his efforts into expressing his own individualism. His cousin, film director Lorena Zilleruelo, followed and filmed Bastian from the age of 12 until he was 18 years old, and witnessed his most intimate, moving and hard moments. This is also the journey of Bastian’s parents, who decide to support their son despite their own difficulties and eventually become activists for trans rights.
Despite the support he receives at home, Bastian has to face social and economical difficulties that might jeopardise his ambitions.
Bastian’s journey introduces us to a more trans tolerant Chile, thanks to a new and liberal generation.

Into My Name

Four friends – Leonardo, Raffaele, Andrea and Nicolo take a look back on their childhood and youth. They share their experiences and memories, even when they failed to live up to society’s norms. Each of their gender biographies is different and yet there are similarities. This helps them understand one another better and feel less alone.
In front of the camera they talk about love, partnership, choosing their name, hormone treatment, surgery decisions and dealing with the bureaucracy of those long and complex processes. In a very binary world, and especially in a conservative country such as Italy, the decision to determine your own gender is a subversive act.
“Into My Name” provides its protagonists with a safe space to describe their personal journey to their chosen selves. This film is a sensitive description of the hardships they’ve had to overcome in their way to fulfill the social, physical and legal change they yearn for.

Q&A with the director and producer after the screenings.

In association with the Italian Cultural Institute

Camila Comes Out Tonight

Camila’s entire world is thrown into a spin when her mother moves the family to Buenos Aires. She starts attending a new school, million miles away from her liberal world view. Politically opinionated Camila is like a breath of fresh air to the other students and she quickly draws the attention of fun loving Bruno and Clara. Even though Bruno is nothing like the boys Camila dated in the past, it’s the flaming haired Clara that invokes something stronger in Camila’s heart. But Camila is unaware that Clara has a secret that can ruin their budding relationship before it even begins.
Director Inés Barrionuevo brilliantly captured the teen spirit in all its chaotic glory, and actress Nina Dziembrowski is absolutely mesmerizing as Camila.

We Will Never Belong

Adolescence can be tough, especially for young queer girls who haven’t yet fully formed and accepted their identity. Emi recently discovered that her mother is in a loving relationship with another woman and she’s not handling it well. She leaves her mother and returns to her birthplace to live with her father and his new family and spends more time with her maternal grandmother. Everything there is a lot less confusing until her intriguing step-sister shows up. Soon Emi realizes why she’s been having such a hard time dealing with her mother choosing to live her life freely.
“We Will Never Belong” delicately traces the journey of one girl to find her truth. Director Amelia Eloisa’s debut film does that with plenty of style and grace.

Director in attendance

Mama Bears

Director Daresha Kyi has created a moving and intimate documentary of how a mother’s love can change the world.
“Mama Bears” is the story of women who let almost every aspect of their lives be completely remodeled by love. Even though they grew up in an Evangelistic fundamentalist Christian communities, the “Mama Bears” group members are willing to risk the loss of family, friends and their religious community in order to keep their children safe, even if by doing so they challenge their own entire belief system and tear apart their own whole world view of politics, religion, faith and love.
The result is a gripping social documentary about the battle against LGBTQ-phobia these brave women lead.

Additional screening: Rosh Pina Cinematheque 29.10, 18:00

You Can Live Forever

In the early 90’s, following her father’s death, a queer teenager Jaime, is sent to live with her fundementalist Jehovah Witnesses relatives. Soon Jaime forms an unexpected connection with Marike. Both youth find themselves instantly attracted to each other and begin a secret affair. But when their attraction is becoming too obvious to hide, their community does everything in its power to break the young couple and force each girl to make life changing decisions.
In their debut film, directors Mark Slutsky and Sarah Watts deliver a drama with a fresh look on first love and forbidden love. Anwen O’Driscoll and June Laporte portray the two young heroines with unapologetic exuberance.

Additional screening: Haifa Cinematheque 4.11.2022

Alis

28.10 screening – Opening speeches

In a youth shelter in Colombia, ten young women sit down in front of the camera and close
their eyes. They are instructed to picture Alis, an imaginary friend that came to the shelter, and to tell her life story. Like the other girls, Alis used to live in the streets of Bogota. This imaginary companion is the beginning of a very unique and extraordinary documentary project. Alis is used as a gentle and reflective entry point to the personal stories of the participants. Alis becomes a chilling mirror of the life stories of ten young women who talk to the camera about past traumas, surprising love stories and their ambitions for the future. “Alis” might be an imaginary friend, but she will take you on a moving journey into the world of young women who have been through so much at a too young age and now deserve to enjoy some of the freedom the shelter provides before embarking on a new journey as adults.
Directors Claire Weisskopff and Nicholas Van Hemlrick’s work is sensitive, gentle and compassionate, and gives a unique and direct glimpse into the stories of young women whom society doesn’t notice. For the first time they look straight into the camera and tell their story, as they try to break the vicious cycle they were born into.

Additional screening: Rosh Pina Cinematheque 29.10, 20:30

In association with the the Romanian Cultural Institute

Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter

A wonderful new film from director Gustavo Vingare (“The Blue Flower of Novalis”) takes place in Sao Paulo in a-not-so-far dystopian future. The city is taken over by a virus that attacks the brain and the people’s ability to remember. An entire country has forgotten their colonial past and the cruel dictatorship that ruled the place. Three young queers are getting swept into a surreal adventure in the once noisy city which is now quiet due to the virus and raging capitalism. They talk abou their experiences with HIV, get make-up tips, visit an elderly client and eventually arrive at an antique shop run by a singer named Mirta.
“Three Tidy Tigers” is a magical and clever creation about friendship and love on the outskirts of society, during a plague era.

Additional screening: Rosh Pina Cinematheque 27.10, 20:30

Sublime

16 years old Manuel and Felipe live in a beach town in Argentina. They’ve known each other their whole lives and do everything together. They are best friends and formed a rock band together. Like most teenagers they spend most of their time thinking about and planning for sex. Felipe helps Manuel convert an old truck into a secret love nest where they can have some privacy with their girlfriends. Their debut concert is going to be at the end of the year ball and they are working hard towards it. Felipe is a very talented songwriter, whose lyrics mostly deal with unfulfilled desire. Felipe is hiding a secret, he’s struggling with his feelings and his desire for Manuel. A few days before the concert Felipe’s frustration and the turmoil inside his bubbles up to the surface and threatens to ruin his and Manuel’s friendship and the future of their band.
Writer and director Mariano Biasin captures a piece of lively teen spirit, full of passion and hurt of a young man who’s in love with his best friend that cannot return the love he craves.

Additional screening: Rosh Pina Cinematheque 5.11, 18:00

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