EXCLUSIVE:OutgoingBerlinaleco-directorMariette Rissenbeekshared a surprising statement during an industry keynote this week atLocarno.
Rissenbeek, however, said she currently saw no way for the festival to raise this cash.
Four million is a lot of money, she told Deadline the morning after the keynote.
Mariette RissenbeekP.Lehman/Future Publishing via Getty Images
So what happens to the Berlinale?
She was announced as co-head in 2018 alongside Carlo Chatrian in the role of artistic director.
They both assumed posts in June 2019.
She was the first woman to head up theBerlin Film Festival.
The widely shared open letter said the festival had programmed three anti-black films.
What exactly are these rising costs?
MARIETTE RISSENBEEK:A lot of this is personnel costs.
Almost 1/3 of our budget is personnel.
As we receive government money, we have to pay salaries according to the unions rates.
So every year, salaries increase automatically.
This makes it very difficult to control costs unless you let personnel go.
Otherwise, your personnel budget is rising every year.
And then we have a lot of technical support for the cinemas alongside cinema rent.
Building the red carpet also costs a lot of money.
All of these services are more expensive, and because theyre all external, theyre super difficult to control.
DEADLINE: Yesterday, you also said you cant see any way Berlinale could finance this extra cash.
RISSENBEEK:Well, four million is a lot of money.
DEADLINE: So what happens to Berlinale?
RISSENBEEK:Im negotiating with the government.
They currently dont provide any financial support.
Its only the national government that supports us.
DEADLINE: Is the festival in immediate danger?
RISSENBEEK:No, I dont think so.
And we still have some options such as reducing the number of films.
If you have fewer films, you have fewer guests, so there is less organizational involvement.
So, no, the festival is not in danger.
But we have to think long term.
In 2025, we will need another 10% budget increase.
Instead of 34 million, you might need 37.
DEADLINE: Is that sustainable?
RISSENBEEK:Thats why we want to reorganize now, to make the cost drives slower.
Maybe we find new ways of working with cinemas, so they dont charge us increasing rent every year.
RISSENBEEK:Thats what I say when I talk to the city government.
Its a battle between the two sides.
Until 2002, the city of Berlin owned the Berlinale.
For some reason, the local government doesnt want to re-enter this responsibility again.
The city of Berlin has a mayor and parliament.
So I hope I can achieve it.
DEADLINE:I assume it is difficult to explain the festivals importance to politicians?
Everyone is always interested to see the Berlinale curated program.
Its difficult to convey this dual system needed to make the festival work.
DEADLINE:So, was this financial uncertainty the reason you decided to resign?
RISSENBEEK:The festival now needs someone with a long-term commitment to build a future.
And I think I wouldnt be that person.
DEADLINE: Why wouldnt you be that person?
RISSENBEEK:The job takes a lot of energy and investment.
In March, I didnt feel recovered enough to think about another five years of guiding the festival.
Perhaps I would have made a different decision at another moment in time.
But in March, I couldnt see how I would do this for the next five years.
It was part of my decision.
Can you explain that a little more?
Maybe that could be things like director Q&As.
DEADLINE: Is this not a question of Berlinales curatorial choices?
There are so many different interest groups, and people are curious.
But you oughta provide a trigger point to encourage people to leave their homes and go to the cinema.
Its not enough anymore to read about a film in a newspaper or on a website.
In Berlin, theres already so much going on that the audience needs an extra push.
DEADLINE: Do you think the festival continues to maintain its position as one of the Big Three?
We are so different from Cannes and Venice, or Toronto or Sundance.
I dont think we lost any ground or value.
DEADLINE: You mention the SAG-AFTRA strike.
DEADLINE: So youre expecting a lot of big Hollywood movies?
Have producers already started calling your phone?
RISSENBEEK:Carlo is going to LA later this year, and Im sure he will have several talks.
DEADLINE: One of the most interesting discoveries during Berlinale 2023 was the Black German film collective Schwarze Filmschaffende.
What did you think about their open letter and what are your thoughts on the group?
I must admit I didnt know about the Schwarze Filmschaffende.
Now were talking to them because we take their concerns seriously and want to respond.
They have different kinds of goals.
On the one hand, they want more films from Black filmmakers from Germany at the festival.
Theyre also fighting for the German government to support more Black filmmakers.
For next year, were thinking about how to be better prepared.
In October, were doing sensitivity training with ARTEF for the festival curators.
Carlo has hired Jacqueline Nsiah.
She is based in Berlin and Ghana and will bring a different perspective to the selection committee.
We had been too convinced that the Berlinale was a very open festival.
Im a bit older, and I didnt know this notion of unconscious bias.
The issue came up for us on the third day of the festival.
If we had known about it a week before, we could have addressed it more professionally.
