Berlinale 2022
Good mood at the Berlinale despite Corona
Maria Furtwangler before the opening gala of the 72nd Berlinale.
© imago images/APress
The Berlinale 2022 will take place with a strict hygiene concept. Nevertheless, there was a “sense of relief” at the opening.
The 72nd Berlinale has opened! Despite the corona pandemic, numerous prominent guests from the film world walked the red carpet in Berlin on February 10th and attended the opening gala. After the rehearsals on stage, a “feeling of relief and enthusiasm also spread,” explained Mariette Rissenbeek (born 1956), alongside Carlo Chatrian (50) in the leading duo of the Berlinale, in an interview with 3sat. “The mood is very good,” Chatrian confirmed.
“I think the decision is great that the Berlinale is taking place. It’s a very important sign in the entire cultural industry,” said actor Ulrich Matthes (62) to the broadcaster. But he is also honest and does not feel as exuberant as in previous years. “Finally” is the Berlinale again, said colleague Clemens Schick (49). Jella Haase (29) confirmed that she had thought about coming because of Omikron. But she is now “absolutely happy” to be there.
Other guests on the opening evening included star actor Iris Berben (71), her colleagues Maria Furtwängler (55) and Heike Makatsch (50) as well as M. Night Shyamalan (51), director and president of the international jury.
“The Berlinale, it’s happening”
“I’m happy, I’m relieved, I’m perhaps more grateful than a Minister of State for Culture was ever allowed to be on an evening in February, I’m happy that this Berlinale can take place as the Berlinale – as the international film festival it always was,” explained Claudia Roth ( 66) during the gala. Yes, there are restrictions, among other things, that one could criticize, “but the really, really important thing is: the Berlinale, it’s taking place.”
“Today I say: We are setting a sign. A sign for cinema. A sign for cinema culture. A sign for everyone who loves cinema and culture,” Roth explained. And in doing so, the Berlinale is also setting a sign for democracy: “Without culture, without theater, without concerts, without cinema, without film, everything remains silent – if art is missing, society is missing, democracy is missing a voice.”
“Every film that we see, that we can experience together, every impression, every story triggers something. And I think right now we are longing for it so much,” said Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey (43). That’s why it’s good that the Berlinale can take place in person. Actress Sibel Kekilli (41) meanwhile appealed to “the cinema as a means of doing this [zu] use to give our fears and longings a form”. And her colleague Marie Bäumer (52) and moderator Hadnet Tesfai (43) also had their say. Shyamalan described the festival not least as an “iconic event”. When he attended Berlin or If I think of Germany as a place “that is open to provocative ideas,” then that is very strongly influenced by the Berlinale.
Part of the hygiene concept is that the visitors wore masks at the opening, among other things, and that there will be no party either. After the gala, the opening film “Peter von Kant” by Francois Ozon (54), which is also in the competition, will be shown as a world premiere.