Berlinale and film market stockpile disinfectant as Chinese firms cancel
AS THE coronavirus forces the cancellation of other major events, one of the world’s biggest public film festivals is going ahead — provided visitors wash their hands.
Organizers of the Berlinale, which begins Thursday in Berlin, said they’re providing more hand sanitizers and are in constant contact with local health authorities to try to safeguard against infection. The festival is unique because tens of thousands of everyday film fans mingle with movie stars at public screenings across the German capital and last year it sold more than 300,000 tickets.
“As with all viral diseases, increased hand hygiene is recommended and we support this by providing additional disinfectants in the washrooms,” according to an e-mailed statement from the festival.
More than a dozen Chinese film and media companies, including Alibaba Pictures Group, Shinework Pictures, and Wanda Media, have canceled their attendance at the European Film Market, a week-long trade fair linked to the Berlinale. The companies had planned to set up their first-ever joint booth but pulled out over difficulties in obtaining visas because of the virus outbreak, the EFM said in a statement.
In Barcelona, organizers last week canceled the wireless industry’s biggest trade fair for the first time in its history, even after introducing measures such as temperature scanners, a protocol for changing microphones and restrictions on entry to recent arrivals from China.
More than 2,000 people have died from the coronavirus, while the number of confirmed cases worldwide has topped 75,000. Germany has had 16 cases so far.
The Berlinale, which runs through March 1, has featured Chinese films in its competition since the 1950s. The first winner of the Golden Bear top prize from China was Red Sorghum, in 1988, catapulting debut director Zhang Yimou and leading actress Gong Li to stardom. Last year, Chinese actors took home the prizes for best actor and best actress.
The EFM has seen an increase in Chinese film buyers in recent years, but 118 participants from China have pulled their attendance so far, with 17 virus-related cancellations from countries including Sweden, Japan, and Switzerland.
While the Hong Kong International Film Festival has been postponed, the Cannes film festival in France — due to take place from May 12 to May 23 — is going ahead, a spokeswoman said this week. — Bloomberg
