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.

Berlinale impressions

After 10 days of screenings, press conferences, photo shootings and discussions, the winners of the 2017 Berlinale will be announced tonight. So far I have only seen one of the films in competition: the Brazilian film Joaquim, which unfortunately failed to impress me. I will watch three more competition films on Berlinale Publikumstag, the Sunday devoted to the public. However, my prediction is that the Finnish film Toivon Tuolla Puolen (The Other Side of Hope, about a friendship between a Finn and a Syrian refugee) will be a strong contestant for the Golden Bear this year. I also have a feeling that the Chilean film Una Mujer Fantastica (A Fantastic Woman) will win some serious prizes. 

In the past two editions of the Berlinale I happened to pick both winners before they were announced (Taxi in 2015 and Fuocoammare in 2016) so let's see if I am right this year.

Of the films I have watched, the ones I enjoyed the most were T2 Trainspotting (though don't expect Trainspotting 2) and Call Me by Your Name by Luca Guadagnino. Viceroy's House (set in India at the end of British colonial rule and ending with the partition into India and Pakistan) and The Lost City of Z (about British explorer Percy Fawcett) were both watchable and entertaining, with good acting. 

I also attended a talk at the HAU theatre with Berlinale jury president Paul Verhoeven and jury member Maggie Gyllenhaal. The theme of the talk was Courage Against All Odds. I thoroughly enjoyed watching clips from Robocop, Basic Instinct, Elle and The Secretary and listening to Paul Verhoeven's amusing tales.

To anyone planning to attend the Berlinale, I highly recommend going to at least one talk or Q&A. Last year's Q&A with Tilda Swinton after the screening of The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger was both entertaining and inspiring.

To quote my friend Francesca, who attended a premiere at the Berlinale for the first time this year: "You have to fight for everything here!" I couldn't agree more: from buying the tickets, to getting into the cinema, to finding a good seat, or posting the card for the Panorama audience award, you have to constantly battle your way through the Berlinale. But once you sit down, the lights go off, the Berlinale theme tune starts (and the coughing begins), you will most likely have a rewarding and magical experience. Just remember: be prepared and follow my tips. Until next year...

Berlinale ticket fever

It is a Monday morning in February. There is an extremely cold chill in the air, but that does not stop Berlinale fanatics from leaving the warmth of their houses to queue up for the advance ticket sales. For the first time I have decided to join the queue. I have strategically picked the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden because I know that at least I will be in a warm place, unlike Kino International where the queue is outdoors. I arrive at 9:00, one hour before the box office opens. For the lucky ones with a Mastercard (official partner of the Berlinale) there is a special ticket counter with a short queue. However, I have no choice but to join the long queue. The people at the front are well equipped with sleeping bags, foldable chairs, blankets, hot drinks. One lady has a supermarket trolley full of luggage. Some have spent the night here. Others arrived in the early hours of the morning. By 10:30 the first film in the Competition category has sold out and the queue has barely moved. One of the old hands patiently explains the sales process to the non-adepts: "On the first day it takes twice as long  - his guess at 9:45 is that we will queue up for two hours - which unfortunately proves to be an underestimate - because people buy tickets for themselves, for their friends and because of the large number of tickets on sale, for example at the Friedrichstadtpalast. The advantage of buying tickets for the Friedrichstadtpalast is that you can watch films in the Competition and Berlinale Special categories and the atmosphere is good, but the downside is that the seats are uncomfortable". This is where my tip from the last post comes in handy: pick two films in a row to increase your chances of getting a good seat, at least for the second viewing. 

As it gets closer to 11:00 and we are still far away from the front of the queue, people start to get a little impatient. Nevertheless, everyone is still in a fairly jolly mood and hopeful of getting the tickets they want. I am a little disappointed, however, when I find out that one of the films I wanted (Theater of Life - part of Culinary Cinema goes Kiez) is sold out. As I finally get closer to the ticket desk and the writing on the screen becomes more legible, there is a moment of confusion among the non-adepts: "Why are there tickets on sale for next Monday?" - a woman cries out - "I thought you could only buy tickets three days in advance!" There is a collective sigh as we all think: "You have had three hours to study the programme and you still have not understood the ticket policy".  By the time it is my turn to buy the tickets I am exhausted after over three hours of standing. The man next to me is leafing through the programme, trying to make up his mind at the very last minute. I cannot think straight so I end up buying two tickets for every session, which is not what I had set out to do. But at least I bought tickets for all the right events. Some people are planning to queue up again tomorrow, but I have decided to give the online ticket system another go.

Wrapping up the Berlinale

The curtain has closed on the 67th edition of the Berlinale. Now that I have actually seen all the films I had bought tickets for, I can say that it was well worth the queue.

The Other Side of Hope is indeed a great film. It shows humanity, compassion and humour and above all is well directed. So congratulations to Aki Kaurismäki - the silver bear for best director is well deserved. 

My favourite film from this Berlinale has to be The Party. This dark comedy by Sally Potter is clever, funny and the acting is brilliant. Look out for it at a cinema near you.

Finally, the documentary Beuys by Andres Veiel about the artist Joseph Beuys is interesting in the sense that it shows a lot of archive material, but the film itself is rather disappointing. Having recently seen some of Beuys's artworks at the Hamburger Bahnhof (Museum for Contemporary Art) here in Berlin, I was hoping to gain more insight from the film. Unfortunately, I left the cinema thinking that the director had missed a really good opportunity. 

Craft beer, vegetables and shipping containers at Gleisdreieck park

BRLO BRWHOUSE: a unique venue for craft beer

It was the last Sunday of the Berlinale: a fairly bright, albeit windy, day in February. After our first film at Zoo Palast we had a gap of a couple of hours before our next one at the Berlinale Palast, around Potsdamer Platz. So my husband and I decided to go for a stroll in the Gleisdreieck park. 

Gleisdreieck in German means triangular junction. At the end of the second world war, the railway area around Gleisdreieck became a wasteland. Over the years a rich vegetation developed. Thanks to strong public involvement, the abandoned area was successfully converted into a park, which opened in 2013, and has since become a very popular spot for Berliners. 

As we looked for somewhere for a bite to eat and to take shelter from the wind, we stumbled upon a rather odd but interesting looking construction. From the outside all we could see was a series of dark grey containers stacked on top of each other and a rather large white writing. Intrigued, we decided to have a peek inside. 

We were immediately greeted by an enthusiastic waiter and we decided to stay: we had found a true gem. It turned out that BRLO BRWHOUSE (the name of the place) is a brewery and restaurant with a great selection of craft beers, as well as tasty and innovative veggie dishes. Whether fermented, smoked, pickled or salted, the vegetable is the star of the menu at Brlo. For those who cannot live without meat, there is also a selection of regional meats, which are cooked in the smoker.

Core beers, new creations and selected others

The actual brewery is separated from the restaurant area by a glass window and a large panel where the beers are listed. The regular beers (or Stammbiere in German) are Helles, Pale Ale, German IPA, Porter, Berliner Weisse. The bar also stocks many new creations, as well as beers selected from local and international breweries. The house beer is priced at €3 for a small one and €4.5 for half a litre. The €15 menu includes a vegetable main, a side dish and something "on top" (for example "dried and puffed vegetables", "mixed pickles" or "German Kimchi"). 

The unpronounceable name BRLO is the old Slavic word for Berlin. Brlo is the brainchild of three friends with a passion for craft beer. Initially conceived as a brewery, BRLO BRWHOUSE is currently home to a brewery, restaurant, bar and beer garden. (When I visited the place last February the beer garden was still under construction).

The venue is unique: it is made of 38 shipping containers and, as indicated on the website, "the modular nature of the structure means it can be quickly disassembled and reconstructed anywhere in the world". As it so often happens in Berlin, the current location is temporary so a new home will soon be needed. Make sure you get there before it's too late!

Solidarity during lockdown

 

There are plenty of ways to help others

There is no doubt that we are living through difficult times. Lots of countries around the world are currently experiencing a second wave of coronavirus. For people living in the northern hemisphere it’s also the darkest and coldest time of the year and as Christmas approaches, many of us will be spending the holiday season away from our families.  On top of that, we can’t go out to restaurants or to the cinema or theatre or to concerts. Still, there are things we can do to bring some light and joy into our lives and the lives of others.

Support arts and culture 

Do you miss going to the cinema, to the theatre or to other events? Luckily, there are plenty of digital offers. As well as the online streaming giants, there are alternatives, such as, online film festivals, literary festivals and digital theatre, concerts and opera. It’s a great way to combine entertainment with support for the arts and culture sector. This week the National Theatre launched a new streaming service called National Theatre at Home, offering a selection of plays available to watch on demand. You can choose to subscribe or you can pay for a single play. The Royal Opera House is offering digital performances of opera and ballet. Meanwhile in Germany, Human Rights Film Festival Berlin is offering the chance to watch 11 films for 11 days (until 7 December so hurry!). All revenues from ticket sales will benefit three independent cinemas in Berlin. 

Sign a petition

Signing a petition is a fast and effective way to bring about change. I’ve lost count of the number of petitions I sign every day. Here are a few organisations that you might like to support: Avaaz, We Move Europe, change.org, One, just to name a few.

Amnesty International’s global campaign Write for Rights is back this year. You can save lives by signing the petitions to free brave human rights activists. Here are the links to the UK website and to the Italian website. You have time until 10 December! There are lots of other petitions to sign on the Amnesty website.

Donate to a charity

There are so many charities out there that it might feel daunting to choose which one or ones to support. You might prefer to support a well-known charity (UNICEF, Save the Children, Greenpeace, Oxfam, WWF, Médecins Sans Frontières) or a small NGO. I suggest you pick a cause that is close to your heart, whether it’s human rights, women’s rights, animal rights, medical research, climate change, hunger, poverty, helping children, refugees, the homeless, the aged, etc. They are all important causes. You can either donate money or you can donate clothes, books, toys, etc. to charity shops, donation centres or clothing banks.  You can also buy Christmas cards to support charities. In Germany, for instance you can buy UNICEF cards either from post offices or online. 

I recently discovered an app called ShareTheMeal, which is part of the United Nations World Food Programme. You can make a one-time donation or you can choose a monthly subscription. I was matched with a family in Nigeria last month and I could actually see how my gift to “the Table” was spent to buy pasta and local maize.

Human Rights Film Festival Berlin

This week I watched films from the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin. I would like to recommend an uplifting documentary called Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl). If you live in Germany, you have until 7 December to watch it. This 40-minute documentary filmed in Afghanistan deservedly won an Oscar this year. It follows the progress of a group of girls who attend Skateistan, a school in Kabul that empowers girls from poor backgrounds by giving them an education and teaching them to skateboard. Its shows a different side of Afghanistan from the one we are used to seeing in the news and it offers a message of hope and courage.  

The film NASRIN, about Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, currently in prison, is available to watch from this evening. You might remember her from Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, which won a Golden Bear at the Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival) in 2015.

Whatever you do, don’t give up hope!

Life coming out of lockdown: week 11

I feel that my “lockdown diary” is coming to an end, unless the situation precipitates and the lockdown measures need to be reinstated. When I started writing, life was very different from how it is now. As many other cities around the world, Berlin had turned into a ghost town. The streets were empty. Everything was closed, except for pharmacies, supermarkets and bike repair shops. The fear of a deadly virus was palpable. People turned to panic buying (Hamsterkäufe in German), amid growing anxiety about an invisible enemy. Supermarket shelves were stripped bare, as shoppers hoarded toilet paper, soap, disinfectant, pasta, flour, yeast and tinned food. Face masks were in short supply, but we were told that they were not necessary. There were almost no planes in the sky, as global air traffic had largely come to a standstill. There was only one story in the media: the coronavirus.

 

Just over two months have passed. Supermarket shelves are now well stocked, face masks and disinfectant are available for sale in pharmacies and many of the lockdown restrictions have been lifted. Beer gardens were full at the weekend. Open-air swimming pools reopened this week, although the weather has been a little chilly recently. Hotels are also open again, but there is no buffet breakfast. Air travel is resuming gradually: my parents have finally managed to get back to Sicily after being stranded in England for three months! Even pubs (Kneipen in German) are allowed to reopen from 2 June in Berlin. I find it rather ironic that pubs and fitness studios will reopen on the same day. You’d think that keeping fit would be a priority. Cinemas will restart on 30 June, but clubs and discos remain closed for the time being. However, for some establishments the relaxation of the lockdown rules has arrived too late.  I was sad to hear that the Colosseum Cinema in Prenzlauer Berg has filed for insolvency. I watched quite an eclectic mix of films there over the years, from Berlinale shorts to Shaun the Sheep.

 

Despite the lockdown relaxation, life has not gone back to how it was before the coronavirus. Strict hygiene rules and social distancing continue to shape our lives. Yes, schools have reopened, but most pupils only go to school for a couple of days a week at the moment. Shops have all reopened, but shoppers, shop assistants and cashiers all have to wear masks or other protective face gear. We also have to wear face masks on public transport. Not all sports clubs have reopened and large public events like festivals are banned until at least the end of August. There is still concern about a possible second wave of the virus and the R value (or reproduction number) keeps fluctuating. If there’s anything we have learned from this pandemic, it’s that we can't take anything for granted.