festival
Criticism of Claudia Roth because of the Berlinale
Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, the outgoing management duo of the Berlinale. photo
© Christoph Soeder/dpa
The planned change of leadership at the Berlinale continues to cause a stir. Minister of State for Culture Roth is now being criticized internationally by well-known filmmakers.
Numerous filmmakers have Ministers of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) criticized in connection with the planned change in leadership at the Berlinale. Your dealings with the previous artistic director Carlo Chatrian was “harmful and unprofessional,” it said in an open letter published in the US trade journal “Variety”. The directors Martin Scorsese and Margarethe von Trotta were among the more than one hundred signatories.
“Carlo Chatrian may not be a showman, but with his quiet demeanor, he and his team have embarked on an open and artistically rewarding curatorial path to charting new directions in international cinema, challenging stereotypes and merging diverse strands of filmmaking,” they wrote the actors and filmmakers.
Despite difficult circumstances such as the pandemic or financial restrictions, past editions under his direction have been “very lively, full of positive surprises and very popular despite a smaller number of films shown”.
Roth wants to introduce an intendance model
Roth had announced about a week ago that the Berlinale should in future only be managed by one person – instead of a double leadership as before. The previous management duo of Chatrian (51) and Mariette Rissenbeek (66) is to be replaced by an intendance model.
A selection committee chaired by Roth is to determine the new director for one of the largest film festivals in the world. Chatrian then took action and announced that he would be leaving the festival after the 2024 edition.
Hard austerity course
Chatrian was not rewarded for his efforts and was forced to step down after his current contract ended, the letter said, which was also signed by directors Joanna Hogg, Claire Denis and French director Bertrand Bonello.
Roth very much regrets that Chatrian is no longer available to continue working at the Berlinale, said a spokesman for the Greens politician. Roth had got the impression from talks “that Mr. Chatrian was willing to start the conversation with a new director.”
From the point of view of the Minister of State for Culture and the Supervisory Board, a reorganization with an artistic direction that consistently considers artistic direction and responsibility as well as the business area remains right and necessary. “This is a necessary correction to the structure introduced five years ago.” Now it is a matter of working together to make the upcoming Berlinale a success. “The Minister of State for Culture will support Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek and the entire Berlinale team.”
The reorganization at the top is not the only change – it was only announced in mid-July that the festival is facing severe austerity measures: the total number of films is to be reduced by almost a third, and sections are also to be deleted.
Along with Cannes and Venice, the Berlinale is one of the major film festivals – this year, for example, US actress Kristen Stewart was jury president and Hollywood star Sean Penn presented his documentary on Ukraine in Berlin.