Pre-glow for the Berlinale. Tatort star Maria Furtwängler (55) and ex-Croatia investigator Clemens Schick (49) toasted with champagne yesterday evening before the big Berlinale kick-off in the Hyatt Bar. Clever move: In the Berlinale Palace, there wasn’t even water for the 800 or so guests (usually 1,600).
On the red carpet, Maria Furtwängler then used the opportunity to criticize the industry: “Women are still not allowed to really grow old in films and have to have the ideal size. Men, on the other hand, can be fat and hairless.”
Still, she was happy that the industry was finally meeting again. So did colleague Iris Berben (71): “Culture needs that. It’s important that we are present here and motivate people to return to culture.”
This return initially started with long queues for the guests because the ticket printers were broken. Each card had to be issued by hand after the vaccination check.
The number of fans was also significantly decimated. Anyone who was allowed to go to the barrier had to bring proof of vaccination beforehand and wear a mask. The big gala then opened late in the cinema hall at 7.43 p.m.
Then the secret of the moderation was revealed: BZ Culture Prize moderator Meret Becker (53) led the evening in a cinematic outfit, welcomed Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (66, Greens) on stage.
She got the film fans in the mood with a passionate appeal for the festival: “We won’t let Corona get us down. We need the cinema, we need the film.”
