Berlinale Will Hold Physical Industry Screenings Despite EFM Being Online

Though the Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market has been forced by the omicron variant to go online, the fact that the fest itself will instead be held in person means that, as anticipated by Variety, some industry players are planning to make the trek to Germany.

This has prompted the Berlinale –- after some deliberation with local health authorities –- to set up separate industry screenings for films launching in the Berlinale’s 2022 official selection.

“Even with the EFM going online, a number of industry delegates confirmed their intention to come to Berlin to visit the festival in person and the Berlinale offers industry accreditation even in its revised format,” EFM director Dennis Ruh (pictured) tells Variety.

All festival accreditation holders will have access to tickets allocated for all public screenings. But “with a bigger number of professionals coming to the festival, there might be some pressure” on available seats given that seating has been reduced to 50% capacity in order to make audiences feel more comfortable.

“That’s why industry only screenings on-site will be added to the festival,” said Ruh.

The industry screenings will take place at the CinemaxX theatre in Potsdamer Platz and the CineStar Cubix at the Alexanderplatz.

The offer to be included in the EFM’s physical industry screenings program has now been made to all right holders of films in the festival selection. It will boost professionals’ accessibility to films at the Berlinale.

“Professionals accredited for the festival can not only access the public screenings, but also acquire tickets free of charge for the industry screenings,” Ruh added.

The industry screenings are meant to boost visibility of the Berlinale selection for the international industry and “intended to facilitate the distribution and future careers of festival-selected films,“ Ruh noted.

Though it’s still difficult to gauge what the level of in-person industry, and also press, participation will be at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival – set to run Feb. 10-16, barring further complications – sales companies with a film at the festival are largely planning to show up, and numerous distributors are also expected to attend, as Variety reported last week.

The fact that the Berlinale has now accommodated requests for in-person industry screenings from individual outfits and from Europa International, the umbrella group representing European sales companies, indicates that they have given their blessing to some informal on-the-ground market activity.

As for media participation, Berlin head of press Frauke Greiner said last week that the fest has received 2,000 accreditation requests, which is about 50% of the fest’s pre-pandemic press attendance. She cautioned that some of those requests are from countries from which travel may be problematic due to Covid quarantine rules.

The Berlinale is not adding an online offer for journalists. Organizers have underlined that press screenings and press conferences will take place on site at the festival.

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