How to survive and enjoy the Berlinale

February in Berlin is by far the bleakest month of the year. It's grey, it's cold and it feels as if the winter will never end. Fortunately February is also the month of the Berlinale, the Berlin Film Festival, a major international event that brings excitement and glamour to the city of Berlin. 
Now in its 67th edition, the Berlinale is an indie film lovers' paradise, with hundreds of films from all over the world in original language (with English subtitles), projected on large screens in warm and comfortable cinemas and theatres across Berlin. The choice is huge: from obscure and odd films to indie masterpieces.
However, it can also feel rather daunting and stressful, due to the large crowds, long queues and variety of films to choose from. So if you're not a member of the press or a film professional and you want to make the most of your Berlinale experience, you too need to be prepared.

Understanding the Berlinale
First of all get yourself a programme, possibly both online from the Berlinale website and on paper. You can find the printed programmes at cinemas and theatres participating in the Berlinale and at the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden.
The programme has over 10 different sections.
The main section is the Competition. This is where you find the big names of cinema. Only the films that are part of the Competition are eligible for the big prizes: Golden Bear, Silver Bear, etc.
Just to make it more confusing, there are certain films (like T2 Trainspotting) that are shown in the competition section, but don't actually compete for the prizes.
The other sections of the Berlinale programme include 
Panorama: wide-range of art house films by renowned directors, but also debut films and new discoveries.
Forum: eclectic collection of experimental, avant-garde movies by young film-makers.  
Berlinale shorts: the name says it all.
Generation: films about young people.
Perspektive Deutsches Kino: films from promising German filmmakers.
Berlinale Special: new films by great directors and actors. Some big names here as well, but no prizes.


How do I buy tickets?
Advance sales start at 10:00 am on the Monday before the start of the Berlinale. Make a note in your diary!
Ticket sales for all screenings in Friedrichstadt-Palast, HAU, Volksbühne, Berlinale Goes Kiez and the last Sunday of the Berlinale start on the Monday.
Tickets can be purchased three days in advance. 
Tickets for repeat screenings of Competition films can be purchased four days in advance. 

If you are stuck at a desk all day, your best bet is to buy the tickets online. Make sure you have both a Berlinale and an Eventim account beforehand. Log on to the website of the Berlinale and be glued to the screen from 9:55 am. Keep your finger on the mouse and as soon as the sale starts click like a maniac! The tickets will sell out in seconds.
The other option is to brave the queues at the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden and at a few other locations.

Where can I see the celebrities?
One option is to stand by the red carpet of the Berlinale Palast. This is where the Competition films have their premieres. The opening and awards ceremonies also take place in the Berlinale Palast so the red carpet is pretty impressive!
Another option is to attend the Berlinale Special Gala at the Friedrichstadt Palast or at Zoo Palast. 
Try to gatecrash one of the many parties.
Hang around the posh hotel lobbies around Potsdamer Platz.

Where does it all happen?
The heart of the Berlinale is the area between Potsdamer Platz and the Berlinale Palast. But there are many other venues around town. I've already mentioned the  Friedrichstadt Palast and the Zoo Palast, but there's also the Kino International, the Haus der Berliner Festspiele and many more. There is also a special section of the Berlinale called Berlinale Goes Kiez; the idea is to bring the Berlinale to art-house cinemas in various Berlin neighbourhoods (or Kiez, as they are called in Berlin).    

What should I wear?
Unless you are planning to be on the red carpet, I recommend warm clothes and comfortable shoes! Berlin in February is usually cold and the pavements and streets could be covered in ice and snow. Be prepared to stand in long queues. You might even have to queue for long periods in the cold.

How do I get the best seats?
Get to the venue as early as possible and be prepared to wait.
One way to avoid queuing up in the cold is to watch two films in a row in the same location (for example at Friedrichstadt Palast). You will have to queue up for the first film but you will beat the crowds for the second screening.

Can Brexit still be stopped?

The Supreme Court has ruled that the UK government cannot trigger article 50 to leave the EU without an act of Parliament (i.e. a vote on a bill).
So what does that mean? Could Brexit still be stopped?
Well unfortunately it seems very unlikely:
a) the Tories have a working majority in the House of Commons (and they will all or nearly all vote to trigger article 50)
b) there is virtually no opposition.

MPs generally accept the result of the referendum.

The story we are told is: - The people of the UK have spoken and the majority wants to leave the EU. The terms of the exit from the EU will be negotiated by the government. Parliament will then vote and most probably will vote to trigger article 50.

So will this parliamentary vote be irrelevant? 

Well it could lead to some changes in the terms of the deal, with more opposition in the House of Lords, where the Tories don't have a working majority, but ultimately it appears unlikely to block Brexit.

Should Brexit now be considered a fait accompli? 

Well this is where I am struggling. Why shouldn't the "opposition" be opposed to something they don't believe is good for their country?
After all the majority (51.9%) voted to leave in the referendum, but what about the 48.1% who wanted to remain? What about the votes of London? What about the votes of Scotland and of Northern Ireland?
Not to mention the voices of all those people who were not even allowed to vote: anyone below 18 (the generation that will be mostly affected by Brexit) and those who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years.
Let's not forget that this referendum should never have happened in the first place.
The leave campaign was shocking and many voters were misled to vote leave on the basis of falsehoods (or "alternative facts", as they are now being called in the US). One of these lies was the claim that the EU was costing the UK £350 million a week and that this money could be used to fund the NHS. Of course, many still believe that it is a good idea to leave the EU, but many others strongly oppose this view.

In her Brexit speech of January 17th, Theresa May said: "after all the division and discord, the country is coming together. The referendum was divisive at times. And those divisions have taken time to heal."
I don't believe that the country is coming together. From what I hear and read in the media and social media, the population of the UK is still very divided.
I see many other contradictions and debatable items in Theresa May's speech.
She said that people "voted to leave the European Union and embrace the world". Really?
"June the 23rd was not the moment Britain chose to step back from the world. It was the moment we chose to build a truly Global Britain". I have very strong doubts about that. Surely you can be part of the European Union and be global at the same time. In fact, how can you leave the European Union and still be global?
She also said "You will still be welcome in this country as we hope our citizens will be welcome in yours." That's not the same message that transpires from "controlling immigration from the EU".
Leaving aside all the economic and judicial benefits (including workers' rights) of being in the EU (and consequently in the single market and in the customs union), I believe that the freedom of movement of people is a huge achievement. I consider myself extremely lucky, because I am part of the Erasmus generation. I know the importance of freedom of movement and I and many of my European friends have benefited greatly from this. I was able to live, study and work in four EU countries, one of which is (or was) the UK.
So I am very disappointed to see that the Labour party is simply giving up.
As awful as having Trump as President may be (and I know that four years is plenty of time to disrupt a country, destroy human rights and relations with the rest of the world), in four years' time there will be another election and hopefully by then there will be more suitable candidates.
But if the UK leaves the EU, the single market, the customs union... it will be permanent.
So maybe the vote of the UK Parliament will be irrelevant, but at least the politicians that oppose Brexit could make their voices heard and, more importantly, should make the voices of the people they represent heard.

Brexit means more than Brexit

Following the initial frenzy of activity in the aftermath of the Brexit vote of 23 June 2016, there has been very little information about what Brexit actually means. That was until yesterday, 17 January 2017, when Theresa May laid out her plans for Brexit. And yes it will be a very hard Brexit.

The key points of her speech can be summarised as

1) Not only will the UK (or what's left of it) leave the EU, but it will also leave the single market.

2) The UK will also (partially?) leave the customs union.

3) The UK wants to control immigration from Europe.

4) The UK will withdraw from the European Court of Justice.

5) To the other members of the EU: "You'd better not punish us in the negotiations or else it will hurt you. But let's remain friends, yeah?"- if that's not an open threat, then what is?

6) The UK parliament will get to vote on the EU deal, but apparently whatever happens Britain is leaving the EU.

The European view can be summed up as: "At least now we know what you really want. Good luck to you, but we'll be stronger than ever".

The general consensus in Europe is that it will be Britain who will be worse off, not the EU. 

The Daily Mail called her the "new iron lady" on its front page today. How ironic that in that same venue (Lancaster House) 29 years ago Margaret Thatcher, the iron lady, gave a speech welcoming the creation of the single market. Now Theresa May is set to wipe it all away.


What does it all mean?

Single market: the single or internal market is an area in which goods, services, capital and people can move freely.

Customs union: there are no tariffs imposed on goods when they cross borders between member states. Also, EU members apply the same tariffs to goods from outside the EU and are not allowed to negotiate their own trade deals with third countries. 

It is possible to be a member of just the single market but not the customs union (Norway, Iceland or Lichtenstein). It is also possible to be a member of just the customs union but not the single market (Turkey, Andorra or the Isle of Man). 

European Court of Justice: the ECJ is based in Luxembourg and interprets EU law. It makes sure that EU law is applied in the same way in all EU countries. It can also be used by individuals, companies or organisations to take action against an EU institution if they feel it has infringed their rights. The ECJ does not create EU law.