It feels like yesterday that I was on the phone to Berlinale directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian following their pre-recorded video announcement of the 2021 festival program, the three of us casting an eye forward to the following year with the hope that this pandemic would finally be behind us.
Instead, while the 2022 program unveiling was broadcast live this time , the Covid situation in Germany remains so uncertain that once again conversations are being dominated by how, and even if, this festival is going to take place, distracting from a line-up that boasts some stellar arthouse names.
Those that do make it to Berlin for the event’s 72nd edition will be treated to new films from Claire Denis, making her debut in Berlin’s Competition, Hong Sang-soo, Ulrich Seidl, Rithy Panh, Peter Strickland, Bertrand Bonello, Andrew Dominik, Dario ArgentoIt is a thoroughly indie affair, with only one film in the line-up from a studio and one from a streamer (Netflix’sFor industry wavering on whether or not the trip to Germany is worth it, Rissenbeek discloses that the festival team are now...
Below, Rissenbeek and Chatrian walk us through their thoughts on this year’s edition and whether we could expect further restrictions from Germany’s regional governments in the coming weeks.Congratulations on your 2022 line-up. Were there any films you wanted that chose to wait later in the year because of the uncertainty right now?There were a couple of films that we were tracking that were not ready in time.