Berlin Film Festival Kicks Off With COVID-Testing Buses and Strict Vaccine Checks

variety.com:

Manori Ravindran International EditorYou can’t say we weren’t warned.When the omicron wave hit in December, the Berlin Film Festival frantically pivoted to ensure a physical event went ahead, and organizers cautioned that heavy COVID restrictions would be in place at the 72nd edition of the fest.True to form, those measures are keenly felt on the ground in Berlin, where COVID-testing buses and strict vaccination and booster checks will be de rigueur over the next week.

Depending on where you’re coming from, that may be a shock to the system, but it appears to be a lot more straightforward than it looks — and rest assured you’ll be spared the indignity of spitting into test tubes.A day before Thursday’s opening ceremony, which screens Francois Ozon’s “Peter von Kant,” the main festival grounds are noticeably subdued, with the Berlinale Palast red carpet still in the process of being set up.

Registration isn’t taking place at the adjacent Hyatt as in previous years, but rather at a new Berlinale Service Center up the road (where you can pick up the festival’s official red fanny pack in lieu of a bag).

It’s been two years since the last physical edition of Berlin — which wrapped on March 1, 2020, just weeks ahead of lockdown in most countries — and much like Cannes and Venice, its operations have recalibrated to meet the requirements of pandemic times.Anyone strolling into a festival site with a flimsy blue surgical mask, for instance, will likely get a polite but stern warning to leave the premises and come back with a heavy-duty FFP2 mask, which is mandatory across Germany and easily available in most pharmacies.