Berlin Film Festival Gets Underway With Messages Of Determination As Event Presses On Amid Question Marks

The 72nd Berlin International Film Festival is officially up and running as an in-person event, pressing on determinedly despite the challenges presented by the Covid wave Germany is experiencing.

A relatively normal-looking, if sparsely attended, rep carpet ended with the good and the glamorous donning their face masks as they made their way into the auditorium for the opening night screening of Francois Ozon’s Peter Von Kant.

The theater was also sparse-looking, but that was inevitable after the city of Berlin decided to enforce 50% capacity limits in all venues for the festival’s duration. Those in attendance included Peter Von Kant director Ozon and star Denis Ménochet, as well as competition jury president M. Night Shyamalan.

Taking to the stage, Berlin directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian tried to strike a positive tone in their opening speeches.

“The current situation has been a challenge, but when I talk to filmmakers I know how important it is that their films reach out to people and they hear the feedback – it gives us courage and encouragement to move on,” said Rissenbeek.

“It was so important that people could come together, that people could experience film and culture together, so we decided to press ahead,” she continued. “We are delighted that almost all of the film teams have been able to be with us, a clear sign of the significance of being present at an event like this, filmmakers have gone to a lot of trouble to be with us this week.”

“Movies helped us in the last two years a lot. Films bring the stories we need to keep our lives going on,” added Chatrian. “Films can be watched at home alone, but they can also help us in overcoming solitude. The pandemic is still running, we don’t know how long it will be with us, we know we have to be careful, wear masks. We have to behave properly, but we also think it’s maybe time to take back something we have missed.”

The speeches came against the backdrop of reports today in certain sections of the German press, including Der Spiegel, that questioned whether the festival should have gone ahead physically during the current Omicron wave. As of Thursday, cases were still coming it at north of 250,000 per day in Germany, with no consistent downward trend being recorded as of yet.

According to those reports, some locals believe the decision to press on with the event in-person is inappropriate. However, others point to the fact that the Covid wave does not appear likely to overwhelm hospitals, and that other nations seem to have managed to ride out Omicron, as reasons for going head. Indeed, several German regions have begun to repeal Covid restrictions in recent days despite the Omicron spread.

The oddness of the present situation was perhaps aptly summed up by the final moment of the Berlinale directors’ speeches, in which Chatrian went off script (he actually announced he had decided not to script his speech at all) and donned his ffp2 mask before declaring he wanted to hug Rissenbeek in front of everyone to symbolize the fact we are all looking to press on through this pandemic and share experiences once again.

The somewhat awkward moment was made worse by the fact that Rissenbeek had forgotten to bring her mask with her onto stage – an uncomfortable interaction that arguably encapsulated the confusing reality we all live in at the moment.

A highlight of the opening ceremony saw a number of health workers brought onto the stage to celebrate their efforts throughout the pandemic, a gesture that drew warm applause from the audience.

The tangible impact of Covid on the festival remains inevitable. Earlier, Deadline had the scoop that Isabelle Adjani, co-star of Berlin’s opening movie, was unable to travel into the city for tonight’s opening ceremony after being a close contact of someone who tested positive for the virus.

For attending delegates and public the presence of Covid regulations are still felt acutely. Accessing the festival’s main venues, not just cinemas but also hotels where meetings take place, requires several steps such as proof of vaccination, festivals badges, and ffp2 masks. More on that in Deadline’s diary from the festival.

The Berlinale is running in a condensed format this year, with all premieres taking place February 10-16, before the awards will be handed out on February 16, with catch-up screenings running physically until February 20.