Berlinale 2023
The international film festival is more than ready for its full-on in-person return
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After an online event in 2021, and a hybrid event in 2022 that saw attendance restrictions and the absence of a red carpet, this year's 73rd edition of the Berlinale and parallel market features record-breaking attendance, a special focus on Baltic countries, incredible international presence, a star-studded jury, a fabulous selection of titles in competition, a new award dedicated to series, and much much more. With attendees eager to return to normal, and meet with one another faceto-face, this year's edition is sure to provide networking opportunities that will give way to the next best blockbuster titles. The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) is returning this year for its 73 rd edition. Berlinale is respectively considered one of the ‘big three’ European festivals alongside Cannes and Venice. To add to
the magnitude of this spectacle, The European Film Market (EFM), a major meeting for film buyers, distributors, producers, financiers, and industry figures alike, is taking place on the sidelines of the Berlinale making it a significant and crucial occasion for the industry's key figures. While submissions for the traditional categories including Forum or Panorama opened back in 2022, the festival has established a new award for the best TV series, the Berlinale Series Award 2023. Furthermore, this year's festival is demonstrating its support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, which began almost exactly one year before the start of the festival, by changing its flagship colors to blue and yellow in honor of the Ukrainian flag. In addition, Hollywood star Sean Penn will be on-site to present his documentar y Super power whic h depicts the struggle and on-going fight between Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of the Russian invasion. In terms of the official competition, 18 countries are represented, from France to Mexico, offering a bevy of attractive titles to the film festival's attendees and an opportunity for both the more established and upand-coming directors such as Italian director Giacomo Abbruzzese, who will present his co-produced title, Disco Boy, in competition. All in all, 15 of the 18 titles within the official selection are world premieres, setting the stage for Berlin to serve as the jumping off point for many new productions. Aside from the official competition for highly-coveted Golden Bear, the Berlinale is also featuring offshoots such as the Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, where independent up-and-coming filmmakers are given the opportunity to shine, Berlinale Shorts, Pano-
rama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, and a Retrospective, Berlinale Classics & Homage. All of this and more will kick off as soon as the festival begins with Steven Spielberg being awarded an Honorary Golden Bear, in acknowledgement of his unparalleled lifetime achievements. The market is buzzing in anticipation of record attendance On the market side of the 2023 festival, this year's EFM represents the in-person return after 2022's restricted edition, whereby the red carpet was rolled up and attendance was heavily restricted, and 2021's entirely online format. The market is set to run from February 16th to the 22nd. Also, on the sidelines of the Film Festival, the Berlinale Co-production Market will be held from February 18-22 and the 21st edition of the Berlinale Talents from the 18 th
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