Berlinale Notes

Gathers personal, sketched and brief observations and reflections.

noted by Florian Weghorn

As the programme grows, so does our excitement about the many people who will join us for the 75th anniversary edition in February. The very first Berlinale, back in 1951, laid the foundation for something that still defines what a public film festival like ours embodies: an enduring love of cinema, shared in the greatest possible numbers with the people behind the camera and in front of the screens alike. For the 75th anniversary edition, we’re putting this back at the heart of all our venues (and at the new HUB75!) and are looking forward to writing the next chapter in a success story shared with our guests and audiences. Last week we announced the winner of our Honorary Golden Bear, and few personalities are as closely associated with the Berlinale and as admired by the Berliners as Tilda Swinton. She once described herself as a “Baby of the Berlinale”, and it is true: her first film with her as an actor was screened here in 1986, before she returned as a member of the International Jury in 1988 and became its celebrated president in 2009. And in between, right up to the present day: great films, films, films. Almost three decades of unforgettable moments: the official ones on the Red Carpets for Wes Anderson’s festival openers, the personal one in memory of David Bowie, and the many occasions of shared passion with the audience (unforgettable for me, Tilda’s spontaneous visit to the opening of Generation in 2010). “I’ve experienced this festival in pretty much every capacity,” she said in an interview, “I haven’t cleaned up here yet, but I’ll probably do that next year.” Don’t worry, we’ll make sure the carpet is vacuumed. Thank you, Tilda, from all the team!

noted by Tricia Tuttle

This week, we’ve shared some plans for revamping our home at Potsdamer Platz in 2025, with two new festival venues close to the Berlinale Palast. The first of these is a new cinema at the Stage Bluemax Theater at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. Once our (excellent) technical team adapts this into a screening space, it will seat 500 people and be the home of our first feature competition, Perspectives, as well as hosting other section premieres. Berlinale HUB75 will be our pop-up audience and industry space at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. A place for celebrating our 75th edition with all of our audiences – here we will host free morning talks for the public on themes emerging out of the programme, and offer an industry and filmmaker hub in the afternoons and evenings. It’s a much needed space for encounters around the heart of the festival.

These new plans emerge as we respond to the dramatic reduction of cinema space at the Potsdamer Platz in the last few years and they are a key part of our development for the future. But they also come in times of particular sadness and great crisis for so many colleagues in arts and culture all over the city. Art, film, music, theatre, performance and other cultural works make Berlin a destination for travellers and tourists from all over the world. They make Berlin one of the great cities to live in. Culture creates many thousands of jobs, and enriches lives – including for many of our team members, who not only work on the Berlinale, but also very often in other culture organisations throughout the year.

As the Berlinale, we have longstanding connections and deep roots in this diverse and vibrant city culture in Berlin. We deliver the Festival alongside collaborators, including HAU Hebbel am Ufer, SINEMA TRANSTOPIA and many other cultural spaces and cinemas effected by budget cuts. We strongly hope solutions can be found to keep these very special venues open and thriving. Solidarity and strength to all the artists and creatives who make this city so alive.

November 29, 2024

noted by Tricia Tuttle

It’s hard to believe I’ve been in my post as Festival Director for the better part of a year since joining the Berlinale since April 1. I was promised a friendly city, and it’s so true; many people have gone out of their way to make me feel welcomed. People from the film industry, from museums and galleries, writers, critics, opera singers, curators, musicians. I have landed in a magical place. Eight months since I moved to Berlin also means that our festival exhilaratingly rushes towards us. We will have much news to share about the programme over the next eight weeks.

The first of our big announcements came recently: Todd Haynes will lead the International Jury to select the next Golden Bear winner. Few directors have such an impressive body of work, and the reaction to our announcement showed how admired he is. It’s particularly special for me; I wrote my Masters’ thesis on his debut film Poison many years ago, and have loved his cinematic explorations of gender, performance and identity ever since.

November 28, 2024