François Ozon’s Peter von Kant to open Berlinale’s in-person edition

By Gemma Casadevall

Berlin, Feb 9 (EFE).- French director François Ozon’s Peter von Kant will open the 72nd edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, which is set to go ahead as an in-person event despite the Omicron-driven surge of Covid-19 cases in Germany.

The edition of Europe’s first major film gathering of the year, scheduled to run from February 10 to 16, is going to be different from the previous pandemic edition, adapting its coronavirus rules.

The movie inaugurating Berlinale this year will not only guarantee a French touch but also a tribute to the German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Peter von Kant, starring Denis Ménochet, Isabelle Adjani and Hanna Schygulla, is a free adaptation of Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears.

Legendary French actress Isabelle Huppert will make an appearance at Berlinale to receive an Honorary Golden Bear for her lifetime achievement.

Spain is also returning to this year’s event as Carla Simon’s Alcarras and Isaki Lacuesta’s One Year, One Night are both competing for the Best First Feature Award.

Spanish cinema had spent decades without such solid representation in competition in Berlin.

Asia, on the other hand, will have a big presence with movies such as Korean the Novelist’s Film, Indonesian Nana, Chinese Return to Dust, Cambodian Everything will be OK.

Only those vaccinated against coronavirus will be allowed to enter the festival. In addition, visitors and journalists will have to present Covid-19 passports to attend, as well as provide a negative test result no older than 24 hours.

All parties have been called off, while capacity at receptions is to be reduced. Mask-wearing will be mandatory across all venues.

Germany has been registering high rates of infections for weeks, with 234,250 cases in the past 24 hours.EFE

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