Alongside Cannes and Venice, Berlin is the platform of one of the biggest public international film festivals in the world. For a movie enthusiast, living in a city with many classic arthouse cinemas, was a joy to celebrate in Berlin in February 2020 the 70th Berlinale International Film Festival.

Facts 2020:

• This year, 340 movies screenings are in the program in the 10 days of the festival between 20th February – 1st of March
• Over 330,000 tickets will be sold (according to visitberlin.de)
• Tickets can be booked also online, 3 days in advance before the screenings. A few special events and day of the public can be booked from the first day
• Opening film was “My Salinger Year”, based on the novel of Joanna Rakoff
• Homage and Honorary Golden Bear 2020 will be offered to Oscar winner – Dame Helen Mirren
• Closing Night and winner of the Golden bear announcement will be Saturday, 29th of February at Berlinale Palast.

Main sections of the Festival

• The official competition, with 10 movies running for the Golden Bear
• Berlinale Special & Series – both glamorous, celebrating films and new series productions
• Encounters – new section, second competition
• Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded – explicitly political and courageous productions
• Retrospective & Berlinale Classics – for the film history and timeless films
• Berlinale shorts & Generation – for the younger audience. Plus Berlinale Talents
• Perspektive Deutsches Kino, Berlinale goes Kiez (neighborhood), and lastly, Special screenings
• Open House, at Audi Berlinale Lounge, with free entry for panels, workshops, yoga classes (!), concerts, Dj sets nights, you name it.

Venues

Attending different movie & documentaries screening, panels or workshop around the city is also a great way to discover Berlin / or go Berlinale crazy.

Red carpet venues are Theater at Potsdamer Platz or Berlinale Palast (Marlene-Dietrich Platz 1, 10785 Berlin) and Friedrichstadt-Palast for Berlinale Special.

Venues for showing again the movies in the official competition and from the other sections are: Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Zoo Palast for Berlinale Series, Cubix & CinemaxX or Kino International.

The last Sunday is considered the Open day for the public and all screenings will cost 10 euro. I have my ticket for “The Road Not Taken”, starring Javier Bardem, Salma Hayek and Elle Fanning, a movie by Sally Porter.

Happy Berlinale!

Later edit: Winner of the Golden Bear was “There Is No Evil” by Mohammad Rasoulof and of Silver Bear was “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” by Eliza Hittman.

Next year Berlinale was supposed to be held from February 11-21 2021, but due to the pandemic, in March 2021 took place an industry event, and a Summer Special is planned in June for the public.