It is exactly half a year that in the light of continuously rising Corona numbers the cinemas beside all cultural institutions in Germany were closed. 2020 not yet affected by the pandemic, the Berlinale had to (including the Berlinale Talents) like the European Film Market among other film festivals of the beginning of the year, including the Sundance Film Festival and the International Film Festival Rotterdam, implement their first online edition. An enormous learning curve characterizes the film festival sector, and many film festivals continue to attract attention with new innovative formats. One German festival that set new standards in the first quarter was the film festival Max Ophüls Prize. An interview with the two heads, Svenja Böttger, the managing director, and Oliver Baumgarten, the artistic director, can be found here (in German).
