This is the first of a series of articles on the 2021 Berlin international film festival, the Berlinale, which took place March 1–5.
Following the lead of a number of other festivals during the coronavirus pandemic, the 71st Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) took the form of online screenings of selected films to an audience of film industry professionals and journalists. Instead of the normal total of over 400 films, some 166 were made available online to the restricted audience.
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
The Berlinale has traditionally been the film festival with the highest level of public participation, and in order to accommodate the public, a second so-called “Summer Special” is planned for June. The festival organisers evidently reckon with an easing of the pandemic by early summer, but with the further opening up of the economy and schools, health professionals are warning of a rapid resurgence of COVID-19 infections in Germany.