The Berlin Film Festival has secured a key new pledge from the city of Berlin itself to offset the impact of previous budget cuts. Our entertainment attorney in the know from Blake & Wang P.A., Brandon Blake, has all the details.
$2.2 Million (€2 million) Boost
The Berlinale will be receiving $2.2 million directly from the city of Berlin over the next two years. This is intended to assist with offsetting the impact of some major cuts by Germany’s federal government that have shaken this cornerstone of the festival circuit this year.
When the budget cut was announced this summer, we saw some major cash-conserving measures put in place by the festival, including cuts to the number of films it can screen (capped at 200, vs this year’s 287) and axing some full sections. The cuts were even blamed for the exit of some high-profile co-directors for next year.
Key Financier Change
The German Federal Culture Ministry is the primary bankroller of the Berlinale, costing about $11.8M annually. While there has been some additional funding available over the last 2 years, which has now come to an end.
The new cash injection from the city itself is likely to come from the state lottery initially and is expected to become part of the regular city budget in years to come. The current Governing Mayor of the coalition government there has long been a vocal supporter of the festival. He has also put other budgetary components towards expanding the wider cinema infrastructure in the capital city for a total of $5.5 million (€5 million), with $1.1 million (€1 million) earmarked for 2024 expansion.
The city will be offering this funding in time for the next Berlinale, slated to run between Feb 15 and Feb 25, 2024.
