‘We’ve Increased Quotas,’ Says Berlinale, as Visitors Grapple With New Online Badge and Ticket Systems
variety.comPatrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief As the Berlin Film Festival and its accompanying European Film Market get under way at near normal levels for the first time since 2020, some things that seem new and different may not be.
The ticketing system for festival and EFM badge holders has moved online and represents a new and frustrating institution for many participants this year – but it was in fact introduced in 2022, when the festival operated at a COVID-impacted smaller scale and the official market was held entirely online.
There have been no changes to the underlying system of badges or the kinds of access to tickets available to market and festival participants, the Berlinale insists – though it may not feel that way to everyone. “By the time I got online, the tickets were all sold out,” one festival participant, typical of many, told Variety on Thursday. “The move online was a change, a big change,” acknowledged a festival spokesman. “The new system is better.
You don’t have to queue up for tickets at six o’clock in the morning.” But a system driven by rigid software protocols, rather that inconsistent humans, may mean reduced flexibility. “It is still possible for market badge holders to get into certain festival and press screenings at the Berlinale Palast,” a festival spokesman said.
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