“You can’t handle the truth!” Colonel Jessup from A Good Few Men.
Using this iconic quote from the 1991 film is appropriate. The Berlinale is a big film festival struggling with identity. Years of turbulence have taken a toll on Europe’s third biggest cinema gathering. The Kosslick, Chatrian and now Tuttle times have placed the fest in an awkward position of trying to figure out a direction. After surviving her first year with a sigh of relief with a second base hit, there is hope. 2026 will be Tricia Tuttle’s second term as head, expect less sympathy, the verdict will be harder this round.
BlackandPaper decided to attend the 76th annual Berlinale but got rejected with a standard “due to heavy demand,,,” response. Laughable, but the explanation on the reasons why is below.
What is the Berlinale on the festival circuit? Comparing Potsdamer Platz in February to the La Croisette, the Lido and Main Street is delusional. Cannes Film Festival has all the glamour. Venice is for serious cinema lovers. Sundance is the crown of indie films. After those fests, the South by Southwest positions itself as a Hollywood launch pad.
One film blog wrote “Berlinale is where films go to die.” Speaking to many industry colleagues, Germany’s largest movie maker gathering has many challenges. The lack of proper curation: titles get lost among the 300 to 400 shown works. Filmmakers were afraid of getting involved then overshadowed by the political conversations.
The lower profile status means less global exposure. Fewer attending cinema journalists because of costs and quality of films came up as points. Directors wanted to enter their productions in the top tier big screen fests. The common talking point was “Waiting for Cannes or Venice”. The Golden Bear event moved to 2nd tier status, a stopover, but not the main destination. A small website writing this is a clincher for rejection. The big papers get away with much worse stingy op-eds.
Not approving BlackandPaper for a badge is a deflection tactic, albeit a petty one for writing the truth. However, our decline will not solve the ongoing Berlinale troubles.