Many of the protagonists in this year’s G-S-A competition are searching for a fulfilling life goal or their own identity. But even if they are still aimless, they want to remain true to themselves along the way. And in the end, isn’t the journey really the destination?

On the wall of the modest hut beams the pride of the family in CRUST: a constantly growing fresco, a family tree that shows each ancestor at the moment when she bravely received her first serious wound. It is an honour, for in this family, “scars make you strong”. But do we really have to feel the pain of past generations in order to claim our rightful place in the family structure?

In a picturesque forest somewhere in Poland lies a deep, barren quarry, nestled in the beauty of a sunny summer’s day. This is the destination that Nora from Vienna is heading for. This is where she wants to end her life. But she doesn’t want to go quietly: she wants her death to be a symbol, the culmination of all the protests that never really had the result she had dreamed of (LIFE, DEATH & PICKLES).

Mena in THERE’S NO END TO THIS STORY is also saying goodbye, but not for good. After years she is leaving Berlin and her boyfriend, and she is roaming her neighbourhood for the last time. She still has a few everyday errands to run and gets caught up in random conversations along the way, which give her a melancholy last snapshot of her neighbourhood.

48 films that showcase the vibrant, confident and versatile cinematic landscape of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.