Despite the rapidly expanding Omikron variant, the Berlinale is to take place in February as a presence festival. The organizers announced this on Wednesday. After the largest German film festival had to be split in two due to Corona last year (online in March, for visitors in summer), the traditional on-site appointment should definitely be held this time in late winter. To this end, the security concept was revised again. The 2022 edition is a 2-G-Plus event, i.e. with additional mask and test requirements, the occupancy of the cinemas will be reduced to half the seats.
The festival is scheduled to open on February 10th, and film teams are also expected to arrive to present their works and at least provide a “touch of the traditional festival atmosphere”. But the red carpet marches would only take place “in a reduced format”. The otherwise obligatory parties and receptions are canceled. The award ceremony will be brought forward from February 20th to 16th. Then there will be four “public days” with repeat screenings of the premieres that have taken place up to then in all Berlinale cinemas. The health authorities of the state of Berlin have approved the plans.
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth called the decision in a statement a “signal to the entire film industry”. The opening film will be François Ozone’s “Peter von Kant”, a reinterpretation of the Fassbinder classic “The bitter tears of Petra von Kant”.The complete program for the 72nd Film Festival is due to be announced on January 19th.