The Berlin Film Festival has added a new screening venue and hub ahead of its 75th edition in February.
In a press release on Tuesday, it was announced that the festival would be “revitalizing” its Potsdamer Platz location with two new additions, the Stage Bluemax Theater and the Berlinale Hub75.
Located at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz, the Stage Bluemax Theater will be a new premiere screening venue with 500 seats. It will host Berlinale’s new Perspectives competition for first features, as well as various other premiere screenings throughout the festival.
Hub75, also at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz, will be built as a temporary festival hub to host a series of free talks and events for public audiences. It will also serve as a networking space for industry guests.
The press release noted that these changes come about after the “closure of some key screens in the area” and a “reduction in capacity at other venues,” resulting in the loss of about 150,000 screening seats. Instead of moving the fest to other locations in Berlin, the Berlinale chose to add these venues to keep the event close to Potsdamer Platz.
“Since the closure and redevelopment of key cinemas in 2022, Berlinale has missed some of its former presence and buzz around our centre in Potsdamer Platz,” incoming festival director Tricia Tuttle said in a statement. “These new venues are part of our longer term plans to recreate a more readily walkable festival heart, and inject additional energy and visibility back into this central hub.”
The Berlin Film Festival will run from Feb. 13 to 23.
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