The artistic director of the Berlinale, Carlo Chatrian, will leave the festival after next year’s edition. The Italian announced this in a personal statement on the Berlinale website on Saturday. “I thought that continuity could be ensured by remaining part of the festival, but in the new structure as it has now been unveiled, it is very clear that the conditions for me to continue as artistic director are no longer there “, it said in the message. A spokeswoman for the festival confirmed that Chatrian sees no place in the new concept for himself beyond the management.
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) announced on Thursday that the Berlinale should no longer be managed by a dual leadership, but by one director. In addition, it was promised that Chatrian could remain on the Berlinale team. That prospect has now been shattered. Chatrian’s message from Saturday ends with the sentence: “The next edition of the festival will therefore be the end of this enriching journey.”
Chatrian (51) has managed the Berlinale in recent years together with Mariette Rissenbeek (66). The two’s first Berlinale barely took place in 2020, when the first reports about the spread of the coronavirus began circulating. In 2021 the festival was divided into two dates. And even in 2022, the cinemas could only be half occupied.
Shortly after the 2023 edition, it was announced that Rissenbeek would not be extending her contract as managing director of the festival. The dual leadership should complete the upcoming 74th Berlinale together, and the new management should then start work afterwards, said a spokesman for Minister of State for Culture Roth on Thursday.
Chatrians Statement
