It seems like yesterday that I called Mariette Rissenbeek, Berlinale director, and Carlo Chatrian to discuss their 2021 festival program. We were looking forward to next year with hope that this pandemic would be over.
Instead, instead of the 2022 program being revealed live (still no attending media), the Covid situation is Germany so uncertain that discussions are being dominated about how, or even if, this festival will be held. This distracts attention from a stellar lineup that features some outstanding arthouse names.
Those that do make it to Berlin for the event’s 72nd edition (February 10-16, with repeat screenings running until February 20) will be treated to new films from Claire Denis, making her debut in Berlin’s Competition, Hong Sang-soo, Ulrich Seidl, Rithy Panh, Peter Strickland, Bertrand Bonello, Andrew Dominik, Dario Argento and many more.
It is a thoroughly indie affair, with only one film in the line-up from a studio (Universal’s The Outfit) and one from a streamer (Netflix’s Against the Ice). That’s still an increase on last year’s tally of zero, and the Berlinale Series program has shows from both Amazon and HBO Max.
For industry wavering on whether or not the trip to Germany is worth it, Rissenbeek discloses that the festival team are now planning for a series of industry-only screenings, so that attending execs don’t have to scrum for tickets, particularly as cinemas will be strictly limited to 50% capacities.
Below, Rissenbeek and Chatrian walk us through their thoughts on this year’s edition and whether we could expect further restrictions from Germany’s regional governments in the coming weeks.
DEADLINE:Congratulations on your 2022 lineup. Are there any films that you wanted to see but had to wait for later in the year?
CHATRIAN:We had to stop filming a few films because they were not finished in time. The post-production studios had to be shut down sometimes, I believe. [because of Covid], there were a couple of films from Europe that couldn’t make it. But I’m very happy with the selection. We invited the films that we liked.
DEADLINE: It’s a line-up focused on independents rather than studios, did you try to get more studio movies?
CHATRIAN:In September we had talks, which is what we usually do. [more studio films]. I couldn’t go to Los Angeles, not because travel was impossible but because the studios were not prepared to welcome external people. Universal Studios has one film. [The Outfit, Out of Competition]There were also discussions about other titles.
DEADLINE: If you had been able to travel to LA, do you think you would’ve had more studio movies in the program?
CHATRIAN: No, I don’t think it would have changed. The impact of some films that were released in the second quarter that moved later in calendar was evident.
DEADLINE: What was your experience with the streamers in this year’s discussions?
CHATRIAN:Netflix has one film we have. [Against The Ice, Berlinale Special Gala]. We also spoke with Amazon. At the end, our choices led to the selection.
DEADLINE: Are these the final additions or are there other options?
CHATRIAN:This is the final line up. That’s also because we are premiering everything in six days, we don’t have room for more titles. That’s a pity because we had a couple that could have played very nicely, but we have to stay with the films we have.
DEADLINE:Although the program is 20% smaller than 2020’s, it was still a bigger anniversary edition. To what extent is this an even smaller edition?
CHATRIAN:2020 was a special edition, we had one anniversary program that made sense for that year, and it was Forum’s 50th anniversary too. This year, we have less films in some sections, mainly Berlinale Special. Also, we decided not to add any Galas.
DEADLINE: It is expected that 2023 will be bigger than 2020, but it won’t be as large as 2020.
CHATRIAN: Yes. But for me, my concern is giving the visibility to the film’s selected. What do you mean? ‘yes’I feel that I have a responsibility towards making a movie. What number of journalists will be able view it? We will be able hold a press conferment? When will it be shown It will collide with what other films? Yes, it will collide with more films next year than this, but I think this year is fine. The journalists will have to follow the entire program closely.
DEADLINE:Mariette: What are your expectations in terms of attendance? Industry guests have expressed an interest in coming to the festival.
RISSENBEEK:Some industry guests will be present, but the buyers and sales companies won’t be far behind. But it will be altogether much less than previous years because we won’t put on a physical market. Travel restrictions can make travel more complicated, especially for those coming from Asia and the U.S. Really it’s too early to say because restrictions are still changing, it’s not clear yet.
DEADLINE: Is it possible to have buyer screenings?
RISSENBEEKWe will offer something to the industry to prevent them from having to compete with the usual audience for tickets. It is still a work-in-progress.
DEADLINE: Does the 50% current capacity restriction apply to every venue?
RISSENBEEK: Yes.
DEADLINE:What does this mean for your revenue?
RISSENBEEK:Germany offers support to events that are unable to fill all of their seats. You can also apply for additional money from the government. We will put an application there and that will fill in the gaps for us, if we’re likely reduced to 50%.
DEADLINE: The number of Covid cases has been hitting recorded levels in Germany in recent days, do you think there’s a chance that the government could introduce further restrictions that impact the festival?
RISSENBEEK:It can still be so today. It is difficult to say what the future holds today. ‘no, nothing will happen’. Omicron mutation is a common cause of infections. This means that less people are being hospitalized than with the previous variants. The situation right now is manageable, but of course if in the next 10 days they are doubling, I don’t know what the city of Berlin will do. I speak to them almost every day.