pandemic
Berlinale continues to check presence festival
How will the Berlinale 2022 be celebrated? Photo: Jens Kalaene / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Representatives of the film industry like to meet at the Berlinale – but not this year, the meeting will only take place online. Will there also be a presence festival?
Rising numbers of infections also challenge the festival management of the Berlinale. The next edition is planned for February – an industry meeting is now being relocated to the Internet, and the film festival itself will continue to be held.
“We are following the development of the pandemic very closely and the priority remains the safety of our guests, the public and our employees,” said a spokeswoman on Friday evening.
In consultation with the authorities
“The festival continues to pursue the option of a presence festival in close consultation with the authorities,” said the statement. “We are now examining in detail which adjustments the new resolutions of the federal-state conference require.” Politicians had previously agreed on stricter rules, for example in the catering trade.
“However, we have now decided on the online format for the European Film Market at the Berlinale,” said the spokeswoman. She confirmed a piece of information from the US trade journal “Variety”. As a film fair, the European Film Market (EFM) is part of the Berlinale, for example alongside film screenings for the public and press events.
Along with Cannes and Venice, the Berlinale is one of the world’s major film festivals. It is considered a special public festival. Thousands of movie tickets are normally sold – more than 300,000 tickets before the pandemic. The Berlinale had to reschedule for 2021 – at that time the festival was split into two dates due to the corona virus. The next edition is planned so far with access restrictions from February 10th to 20th.