Columbia Filmmakers Win Big at 2024 Berlinale

Update:

The 74th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival came to a close last weekend, and two films by School of the Arts filmmakers won big at the festival. 

All Shall Be Well, a feature film directed by Ray Yeung '13 and shot by Ming Kai Leung '06, brought home not one but two major awards—the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film, and 3rd Prize in the Panorama Audience Award. The film is a moving story about loss and chosen family, following a woman who unexpectedly loses her partner and leans on her chosen family to process her grief and begin a later-life journey into emancipation. 

"For any filmmaker, this is a dream come true," Ray Yeung said. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank every teacher who taught me at Columbia for their generosity with their time and knowledge and for giving me the confidence to pursue my goals, as well as my fellow alumni who inspired me to be a better filmmaker. The experience I got at Columbia was a turning point in my life: it broadened my knowledge of movies, deepened my understanding of films, and intensified my passion for filmmaking."

A Summer's End Poem, a short film co-written by Film student Yupeng He, was also recognized with the Special Prize for Best Short Film in Generation Kplus. In a bittersweet tribute to the end of childhood, the poignant film follows a country boy who spends his savings on his dream of a city hairstyle—with surprising results. 

Explore all the winners of the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival here. 

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Original: February 13, 2024

The 74th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale, is quickly approaching. The festival will take place from February 15 to 24, 2024, and several films by Columbia filmmakers have been selected to screen at this prestigious event. 

Three short films by Columbia filmmakers will screen across various categories. Film student Yupeng He co-wrote A Summer's End Poem, which will screen in the Generation Kplus category. The film is a story about bidding farewell to childhood and the poetic end of a summer. Set shortly before the end of the summer holidays, it follows a country boy who spends his savings on his dream of a city hairstyle—with surprising results.

Obraza by Gleb Osatinski '22, will screen in the Generation 14plus category. The film tells the story of seventeen-year-old Yasha rebelling against authority; but in the USSR of 1990, some opposing forces are more dangerous than others. Determined not to give in, Yasha’s need for self-expression will propel him to the precipice of irreparable harm.

Additionally, Goodbye First Love (Jing Guo), co-produced by film student Kunao Yan, will have its world premiere in the Berlinale Shorts competition. The film follows two former lovers who reminisce about the past during what may be their last meeting. 

Four feature-films by Columbia filmmakers will be screening in the Panorama section, including Between the Temples, edited by John Magary '07 and co-written by C. Mason Wells (CC '06). The film follows a Jewish cantor in the midst of a crisis of faith who is turned completely upside down when his primary school music teacher comes back into his life as his new, later-life Bat Mitzvah student. 

All Shall Be Well, a feature film directed by Ray Yeung '13 and shot by Ming Kai Leung '06, will be screening in the Panorama category. The film follows Angie, who unexpectedly loses her partner, Pat, and is left to worry about the flat in which the couple lived together for over 30 years. Supported by her chosen family, Angie begins a later-life journey into emancipation.

Also screening is The Outrun, executive produced by Claudia Yusef '12. The film followsRona, who after living life on the edge in London, attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands—where she grew up—hoping to heal.

Finally, I Saw the TV  Glow, which boasts the work of Tyler St. Pierre '21 on quality control, is also screening in the Panorama section. The film is about teenager Owen just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show—a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the TV, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack. 

In addition to the films screening at the festival, a film currently being produced by Christina Wood '20, titled To the Wedding, was accepted into the Berlinale Co-Production Market. 

See a full list of films screening at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival here.