Berlin Film Festival 2021 likely to go virtual as Germany enters into new lockdown – Entertainment News , Firstpost

The Berlin Film Festival 2021 is expected to be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising number of coronavirus cases in the country. The dates of the 71st edition of the international film festival are expected to be announced this week.

According to a report by Variety, the Berlin Film Festival which was initially scheduled to be held between 11 and 21 February 2021 is now looking to stage a competition section virtually in the beginning of March next year.

The organisers are also thinking of holding a mini-festival with a series of onsite world premieres for early June.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, with Germany going on a complete lockdown on Wednesday (16 December), the model of the Berlin Film Festival 2021 will be somewhat similar to the Cannes Film Festival 2020 that was held in October.

The three-day Cannes Film Festival completed just when France announced its second lockdown.

The European Film Market (EFM) that runs alongside Berlinale is also expected to go online. EFM had earlier announced its plans to incorporate online screenings and market events into its 2021 edition.

However, EFM was hoping to have some form of physical presence which now appears to be unlikely with COVID-19 cases on rise.

Last year, the Berlin Film Festival had 132 participating countries. As many as 341 films were screened in a public programme and 732 films were shown in the European Film Market.