German Culture Minister Claudia Roth has announced she wants theBerlinaleto be placed back under the control of a single director.
The festival has been led by the joint team of Artistic DirectorCarlo Chatrianand Executive DirectorMariette Rissenbeeksince 2019, in a dual management structure introduced following the departure of former long-time director Dieter Kosslick.
The structure is currently under review, however, following the announcement in March that Rissenbeek had elected to step down from her role after the 2024 edition of the festival.
Mariette Rissenbeck and Carlo ChatrianSean Gallup/Getty Images
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Roth is reported to have told a meeting on Thursday of the supervisory board of federal cultural events in Berlin (KBB), which oversees the festival, that her conclusion was the film should be led by one person.
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In a statement released after the meeting, the Ministry Of Culture said: The talks that we have had at various levels over the past few months with numerous people who work at, with or for the Berlinale have led us to the common conviction that the largest public film festival in the world should again be led and represented by one person.
The necessary decisions to modernize the Berlinale, to secure its future and sustainability should now be in one hand again to further develop the Berlinale as a public festival in the federal capital and to strengthen it in the league of international A film festivals
A committee has been put in place to find a successor for Rissenbeek, who steps down at the end of March, 2024.
Chatrians future role at the festival has yet to be decided but it appears he is not in the frame for the new director position.
The statement said the supervisory board had expressly acknowledged the services of Chatrian in renewing the content of the Berlinale and that he had agreed to enter into constructive discussions with the new artistic director about a future role in the new Berlinale team.
A spokesperson for the Berlinale confirmed that Chatrian and Rissenbeek are confirmed to co-lead the next edition of the festival, running February 15-25, 2024.
