Deutsche Welle (English edition)
2021 Berlinale will focus on industry first, then fans
An online event taking place from March 1 to 5 is restricted to film professionals. Here's why some films are waiting for the red carpet in June to launch promotion.
The Berlinale has a certain number of established rituals. Braving the normally bitter endof-February weather — when the international film festival usually takes place — there's always a crowd of die-hard autograph collectors flocking at the corner of the street where actors and filmmakers are dropped off from limousines ahead of their movie's press conference. And before the premiere of a film, fans spend hours waiting to see their favorite stars walk up the red carpet, hoping to get a selfie or simply to soak up the exciting atmosphere of the festival, even if it's freezing outside.
Meanwhile, journalists usually run around from one press screening to the other, scrambling to fit in press conferences and interviews into their packed schedule, all while quickly filing stories on deadline.
All that won't be happening this year — at least not during the part of the festival kicking off next week.
Film industry first
Due to the pandemic, the
organizers of the Berlinale have decided to split the festival into two separate events. An industry event, restricted to film professionals and the press, is happening online from March 1 to 5, while the "summer special," which will feature public screenings, is set for June 9-20.
The industry rvent primarily serves as an alternative platform for the European Film Market (EFM), which is one of the top three meeting places of the international film and media industries, along with Cannes and the American Film Market.
As these events have an established order in the film industry calendar, Berlin's market — barring a complete cancellation — definitely had to take place in the first quarter of the year. Holding the entire
festival in June to allow the usual Berlinale synergy between the public and the filmmakers "would have been too late," explained Frauke Greiner, the festival's press spokesperson. "It wouldn't have been good for the film industry."
A filmmakers' hub
But even without the hordes of film fans, it will be a busy week: Over 470 companies from nearly 60 countries have registered for the digital version of the EFM. Without the usual travel expenses, the format is also attracting many new players, with nearly 200 companies participating in the EFM for the first time, according to the market's website.
Those registered industry insiders will have access to a dizzying list of 780 films available for market screenings, not to mention the 90 "EFM Industry Sessions" planned during the week — which include discussions, workshops and pitching opportunities.
A streamlined selection
Meanwhile, the Berlinale has streamlined its official selection. Although the program's different sections still feature way more films than a human can possibly watch in a day, there are for instance only 15 films in the official competition this year. The selection of works usually vying for the Golden and Silver Bear awards usually includes around 20 titles.
While the press has also been invited to cover the festival, not all titles are directly available for media coverage. Film producers — and not the festival — were entitled to determine whether they wanted to have their production available online for press screenings, or restrict them through geo-blocking for specific regions.
Including film critics in this part of the festival "was above all an offer to the productions, in order to support those who already wanted to create a certain media visibility for their films," Greiner told DW. Some films, she said, willingly took on the offer, while others decided that they
would rather keep their media launch for the summer, during the public festival. "We're now in the industry event, that always needs to be emphasized," Greiner added.
Two German films with a special status
Most productions chose to include press promotion in this phase of the Berlinale. Among the 15 competition titles, only two films are not included on the media's screening platform.
They both happen to be German movies: actor Daniel Brühl's directorial debut, titled Next Door, and Dominik Graf's Fabian–Going to the Dogs, based on the 1931 novel by Erich Kästner, set in Berlin just before the Nazis took power.
In Germany, these few keywords alone are enough to create a media buzz. But unless the films win an award, the movie directors and actors are
Cyprus' official Eurovision Song Contest entry for this year has triggered controversy within the island nation, and one anonymous caller threatened to "burn down" national broadcaster CyBC on Friday.
The song, "El Diablo" (Spanish for The Devil), has triggered among some of the country's devout Christians who say the dance mix has scandalized the faithful with its references to the devil.
CyBC informed the police about the caller's threat to "burn the building down" in protest over the song, the Cyprus News Agency reported.
Police said they were investigating the matter.
Caller apologizes for threat
The person who called CyBC later apologized for making the threat.
"I was in a state of shock and angry with the lyrics of the
song that will represent Cyprus at Eurovision," he told the Greeklanguage Politis newspaper. "The reference to Satan made me feel angry, and so I reacted with a boiling soul and said something for which I apologize."
The man added that he still disagreed with the song, "but I do not believe in violent reactions and reassure my fellow citizens that I will not carry out my threats."
What do critics say?
State broadcaster CyBC announced "El Diablo" as its pick to represent Cyprus at the Eurovision contest on Wednesday.
An association of religious teachers blasted the song, urging CyBC to withdraw it from the contest. It expressed "abhorrence," questioning why a song "of such low quality" chosen rather than one that promotes the culture of Cyprus in Europe.
"If the only thing we are angling for is the top place, we shouldn't participate at all if we are representing ourselves with every and any diabolic sub-culture," the association said.
The song, performed by Greek singer Elena Tsagrinou, includes lyrics including "I fell in love… I gave my heart to El Diablo" and "I gave it up because he tells me I'm his angel," calling the relationship spicy and hotter than sriracha, a hot sauce.
"This is scandalous to us Christians," said Demetris P, who started a petition on a popular Cypriot website calling on the broadcaster to ditch the song.
His petition had received more than 2,500 signatures until Friday afternoon.
What was the broadcaster's response?
CyBC defended the song saying the critics had misinterpreted the lyrics and that the track was about people in toxic relationships.
It was about "a girl who is in an exploitative relationship with a freeloader she calls El Diablo," the broadcaster said in a statement, adding that the song was inspired by the "eternal struggle of good versus evil."
Cyprus has participated in the Eurovision 36 times since 1981 but has never won. It came close in 2018, when Eleni Foureira's "Fuego" finished in second place, losing to Israel.
This year, the Eurovision contest is set to be held this year in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in May.