The world’s largest public film festival Berlinale announced on Tuesday that it is facing major budget cuts and plans to cut entire sections from its programming to avoid a financial crisis .
Starting next year, the
Berlin Film Festival will ditch its Perspektive Deutsches Kino sidebar, which highlights the up-and-coming German director, as a separate part. In the future, films by German newcomers will be screened in the existing sections of the festival: Competition, Encounters, Panorama, Generations and Forum.
Berlin has also cut the Berlinale series section for high-end dramas, and has included series premieres in the Berlinale Special Evenings section. Carlo Chatrian, artistic director of the Berlinale, will take over the programming of the selection from Julia Fidel. Julia Fidel was in charge of the Berlinale series but announced her withdrawal earlier this year.
The Berlinale TV industry segment, the Berlinale series market consisting of industry screenings and conference programmes, will continue to remain unchanged.
The Berlinale will further streamline its overall program, reducing the total number of films to approx. 287 (compared to movies showing in all departments this year). Except for the main competition section, each section will screen fewer films.
“Like many other areas of society, cultural institutions and festivals are affected by a substantial increase in costs with the same budget. With this in mind, we had to make a structural adjustment and provide the Berlin Film Create a stable budget base for future organization and implementation of the festival,” the festival said in a statement. “This process brings the opportunity to use a more targeted program to optimize the presentation and perception of invited films.”
German culture ministry tightens belt, accelerates budget cuts, The department is a co-financer of the Berlinale. The department provided up to $ 8 million euros 2023 to the Berlin Film Festival .7 million) per year. In addition to this, an additional 2020 and 2023 funding of USD 2.4 million (EUR 2.2 million) was added, to help cover rising costs, but that funding ran out this year.
Some of the Berlinale’s corporate sponsors, which collectively contributed a third of the event’s budget, also pulled out. Luxury car brand Audi, a longtime supporter of the Berlinale, withdrew after 2020 and was replaced this year by cheaper transport company Uber. Telco MagentaTV and L’Oréal Paris also completed sponsorship deals. Armani Beauty became a fashion sponsor this year.
Berlin’s third financial pillar – ticket sales – looks more secure. Berlin has sold 287, times Tickets for screenings at the festival every year, cementing its position as the world’s top public film event.
But that’s the only thing at the Berlinale that looks stable. Under co-directors Carlo Chatrian and Mariëtte Rissenbeek, Berlin has become more culture-forward and overtly political in the official selection. They succeed longtime festival president Dieter Kosslick, who has hosted the past four editions of the Berlinale. But festivalgoers complain about a lack of star power or breakthrough titles. Berlin, once seen as a rival to Cannes and Venice, has slipped in the global rankings as it struggles to attract Hollywood blockbusters or the crossover indie films that define the top festival’s status. Under Chatterland-Riesenbeck, a major studio made its world premiere: Pixar’s Onward , at Ended the film festival.
Riesenbeck has already said she will step down when her contract expires after the Berlin Film Festival next year. The German Ministry of Culture is still in talks with Chatrian over the possibility of a contract extension 2023. But there is speculation that a major overhaul could come next year, with the Ministry of Culture overhauling the festival’s management structure and its financing.
The global film industry will be watching closely. The European Film Market in Berlin, held in conjunction with the festival, is the first major film market of the year and is a must-attend for most of the big independent buyers and sellers. But the interruption of the festival and the disappearance of popular parts such as the Berlinale Series sidebar could affect industry attendance.
15 Berlin International The festival will be held from February 15 to 25 , .
