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INTRODUCTION

Each year in February, Berlin rolls out the

red carpet and life in the city revolves

around the International Film Festival.

Such is the aura and grandeur associated

with this event that all the imagery of this

city seems changed and the festive mood

can be experienced through the lighting

and the big colored banners put up at

various prime locations in the city.

Airports, hotels, theatres are rocked by a

much hyped atmosphere in the presence of

international celebrities who are the center

of media attraction all through the 11 days

of this festival.

View of the general ambience at the

opening ceremony of the Berlin

International Film Festival at Berlinale

Palast.

OBJECTIVE/RELEVANCE

OF THE LITERATURE STUDY

In my attempt to understand the

functioning of an INTERNATIONAL

FILM FESTIVAL, it was important to

study an event that is on a much larger

scale, so that my approach to the design of

this project just not remains limited to its

present scale.

Berlin film festival is next to the Cannes

with respect to the scale and overall

participation recorded in this mega event.

This is a 11 day affair that takes place in

the heart of the city (Berlin) generally in

the first half of February. Potsdamer Platz

is the main venue for the event, though

there are a host of venues that support the

activities taking place in the festival.

The study for this festival is being done to

understand the planning for the event

which would include the inter connectivity

between different functional components

and the architectural significance of the

built mass to the overall ambience of this

festival. Different spaces have to be

examined closely so that the relation of art,

architecture to a film festival can be

inferred to a greater detail. This would

help to appreciate the design more in terms

of the imagery, hence created, in a context

that remains so very important in the

present study.Lastly important conclusions

can be arrived at that can add on to the

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missing functional components in the

present case of the International film

festival of India. These would strengthen

the prospects for making IFFI stand out as

a major international film festival in the

times to come.

ORGANIZATION OF THE EVENT

The success of each film festival is

influenced by the amount of international

participation it receives and on the scale at

which the host country holds the event.

And the Berlin festival, over the years has

expanded many folds, adding new venues

to the existing. More and more facilities

have been incorporated into the

programme that makes the event more

open to the public. And all this while, the

process of screening various movies has

been made more systematic and better

organized using the latest technology (like

the e-cards for the access control) to its

best possible use.

New theatres like the multiplex and IMAX

have come up to screen these international

movies with the option of side by side

translations through the attached earphone

along your seat. All this has really

promoted the event in a big way as

language has ceased to be a criteria for

enjoying a movie from a different country.

Audience have begun to appreciate the

quality of theatre being produced

elsewhere and knowing the culture of

other countries through this powerful

medium of expression.

Berlinale palast, the main venue for the

screening of movies for the press and

delegates. It has a grand theatre and a

host of ancillary facilities that keep the

venue eventful all throughout the

festival.

Like many other international film

festivals, the Berlin film fest starts with the

opening ceremony at Berlinale Pallast with

the screening of the premiere movie

reserved for this grand day. Dignitaries

and special invitee across the globe have

the privilege to participate in this function.

After this from the next day screening of

movies starts at the various venues

reserved for the festival. Potsdamer platz is

one such area which is pedestrianized

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during the event and has a host of facilities

that facilitate for the smooth functioning of

the event. It has got multiplex, IMAX,

shopping malls, film museum etc. that

confuse the visitors with the vast choice of

options it offers.

The organization of the festival has to be

understood in terms of the various venues

and the activities associated with it. This

will be done starting at the macro level and

then going in to the micro and having a

closer look at the various venues in and

around the Potsdamer Platz, which

remains the focal point. Most of the

venues have been spread out and are

connected through the shuttles service with

the various hotels, where most of the

dignitaries and the guests are staying.

VENUES

I) Official Competition Programme:

Gala screenings of the films competing for

the Golden and Silver Bears:

Berlinale Palast at Potsdamer Platz

* Repeat Screenings: Royal Palast and

International.

II) Berlinale Special:

Film-Palast,International Zoo-Palast,

Cinestar, Philharmonie.

III) Panorama:

Zoo-Palast Cinema 1 (Panorama Special),

CinemaxX (Cinema7)

Cinestar (Cinema2, 3, 7)

* Repeat screenings: International

IV) International Forum of New

Cinema:

CinemaxX(Cinema3),Cinestar (Cinema 8),

Delphi-Filmpalast,Arsenal Kino,

Filmkunsthaus Babylon.

V) Kinderfilmfest

Zoo-Palast (Cinema 4)

* Further Premieres and repeat screenings

at CiemaxX (Cinema 4) and Filmtheater is

Friedrichshain.

* Competition 14plus at Zoo-Palast

(Cinema 4).

VI) Retrospective

CinemaxX (Cinema 4 and 8)

* Special added attractions at the

Filmmuseum

Berlin, Potsdamer straâe 2.

* Repeat screenings at Zeughaus Kino,

Cinestar (Cinema 2), Film-Palast.

VII) German Cinema

This section is primarily aimed at fim

buyers and is only open to accredited

festival visitors.CinemaxX (Cinema 1)

VIII) Perspektive Deutches Kino

Cinemax (Cinema 3)

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IX) Short Films CinemaxX (Cinema 6)

CinemaxX, located in the Potsdamer

Platz. The main venue for Panorama,

Kinderfimfest, Retrospective, German

Cinema

X) European Film Market

Film screenings and fairground area are

open only for the accredited participants.

CinemaxX(Cinemas 2,10 and studio11 19)

Cinestar (Cinemas 1,2,4,5, and 6)

* Fair stands are located in the atrium of

the Daimer Chrysler building at Potsdamer

Platz.

ARCHITECTURAL VOCABULARY OF

THE BUILT FORM

Most of the buildings stand up with the typical

glasss box architecture relying more on the

interior lighting, for making an impressive

elevation especially during the night. One of

the main venues, the Potsdamer Platz, has

been once a thriving metropolis. But this

square was heavily damaged in the war, and

suffered again when the remaining buildings

were pulled down.

Cinestar, one of the multiplex that is also

the venue for the films screened under

Panorama. The typical glass box

architecture is more of an attraction under

the lights in the night.

to make way for the Berlin Wall’s death strip.

After years of construction the tall new

buildings on the western side of the former

square add a typical cosmopolitan edge to the

city - but will remain an island of modernity

until construction, around the neighboring,

Leipziger Platz links the area up to the rest of

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the city. The Sony Centre, with its huge atrium

and sail-roof is the most impressive at night

when the lighting changes color continuously.

Sony Center, with its sail roof is most

impressive of the structures, adapting to

vagaries of the climate.

The area in around the Potsdamer Platz is

part a typical urban fabric that one might

find in any old city. There’s a blend of

different styles, in which each new

building tries to complete with the old

monuments that are part of the history

now. The above picture is from the

Rudolf-von-Gneist street showing an old

cathedral in the background. Parking

problems are common in the area, so most

of the new buildings have gone in for

basement level parking. So while the

festival is going on most of the area

around the Potsdamer Platz is

pedestranized and the shuttle service is

available for commuters going to for the

far off venues, after every 30 minutes.

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The roofing system for whole of the sony

center has been designed in a way that

makes use of the intelligent architecture in

which the mechanism is controlled through

thermally operated cells. It’s a huge cable

structure with fins made of fiber, around

the entire circular complex. When the

temperatures fall below the freezing point

and there’s a possibility of snowfall, the

fins open up to form a huge umbrella

hence acting as a shield to entire plazza.

The roofing also acts as a physical

envelope defining the entire space in a

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more meaningful way. It is also

responsible for the multi-colored

reflections that can be seen on the facades

of the various buildings that the complex

houses. The glass facade of these

buildings, hence acts as a dynamic

covering to the entire built form changing

under the influence of both the natural

and the artificial light.

The main theatre inside the Sony Center is

the Cine Star IMAX. It’s the venue to the

BerlinaleSpecial, Panorama, Retrospective

and International Forum of New cinema.

The complex also houses a film museum

that highlights the achievements of the

Hollywood stars specially those who came

from Germany. Photo stills, footage, set

designs and costumes provide glimpses of

what is part of the history of German

Theatre. The museum ends with special

effects and a science fiction.

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THEATRES�

The success of a film festival rests heavily

on the theatres where the films are

screened. So each country tries it’s best to

add new theatres with latest facilities for

the screening of various films. Berlin film

Festival screens most of its movies in the

Multiplex or the IMAX theatres so that the

audience can experience the films with the

best sound and picture quality. Seats are

provided with headphones so that films

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from other countries can be heard in

German and English.

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Berlinale Palast, hosts the screening of

various movies for the celebrities and the

distinguished guests. It is located near the

Potsdamer Platz & the Grand Hyatt where

most of the celebrities hole up in their feng

shui rooms. The venue hosts both indoor

and outdoor screenings, along with the

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press conferences with the stars. The

Media center is stationed here for all the

happenings to be telecast live for the

public on the screens put on the exterior of

this complex. The final prize distribution

which includes both the Golden and the

Silver Bear is held in this venue.

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The CineStar IMAX located in the Sony

Center is another theatre which has 10

screens for the screening of both the large

and small format movies for the public.

The ticket sale counter is located alongside

and the booking for the shows can be done

on the card through an electronic control

device.�

Convertible IMAX Theater

Located at the center of the urban project

developed by Daimler-Benz, as part of the

reconstruction of the Potsdamer Platz in

Berlin, B7 is a 15,600 square meter mixed-

use building comprising of Imax theater, a

restaurant and retail surfaces. The three

floors of retail spaces on which the theater

rests are related to a covered shopping

street placed between adjacent building

of the quartier while a three-story

restaurant in the rotunda faces the Marlene

Dietrich Platz (at the center of the

drawing). The 440 seats theater is housed

in a sphere of 36 meters in diameter that is

integrated inside of the urban envelope of

the building. The spherical volume of the

theater raises above the building making it

a landmark from afar.

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Plan of the fifth floor (+23.62M), level of

exit of the theater.

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The IMAX Theater is convertible, that is,

there are two screens (and two projection

rooms) inside: a half-spherical screen

rotates to allow a view of a vertical screen.

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The sphere is also visible from the street

through a large 1,000 square meter clear

glass façade that is oriented toward

southwest. This glass façade defines an 18

meters high atrium that is the main public

circulation space at the foot of the theater

sphere, 10 meters above street level. The

façade spans 50 meters horizontally. Its

structure is made of three identical light

horizontal cable and strut 'beams' placed

above each other every 4.50 meters,

corresponding with the floor levels inside

the building. As part of the general

architectural and sustainability concept,

the atrium is naturally ventilated. It is

roofed by a long-span hollow steel

structure that is offset from the sphere in

order to allow natural light penetration,

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natural ventilation, and the 'reading' of the

continuity of the sphere between inside

and outside. The end facades are clad with

large format ceramic elements in natural

tone while the sphere is clad with blue

green glazed ceramic elements, the

'sphericality' of which is obtained naturally

when fired in the oven, by using

appropriate glazes. The structure of the

sphere that houses the theater is build in

concrete. The spherical form is a 35 meter

diameter PVC textile membrane balloon

maintained under pressure while concrete

is projected from inside, alternating

projection and installation of rebars. The

sequence shows the balloon being inflated.��

PARAMETERS DEFINING

THE EXPRESSION OF THE VENUE

It’s important to list all the parameters that

define the general ambience of the place

and bear a contribution to the festive spirit

of the venue. Maybe the Piazzas, the

hard or the soft landscaping elements,

the floorscape, the lighting, the signage,

the general imagery, the architectural

expression of the buildings, the colour;

all have a role to play in making the

place lively and creating an interest,

more so when you are not sitting in a

dark theatre watching nothing more

than the images being flashed across the

front white screen.

The photograph of the Sony Center

under lights. The Golden Bear stands as

a symbolic representation of the event in

the background of well lit glazed facade

of the complex. The central water body

with the fascinating reflection.

The Piazza in front of the CinemaxX

theatre in the Potsdamer Platz. The

outdoor sitting spaces make up a good

contrast to the interior of a theatre.

Sitting out in the winter sun and waiting

for the next show to start, the piazza

with it’s eating joints makes for the long

intervals between the shows.

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The general ambience varies from venue

to venue. The Berlinale Palast, hosts a

number of red carpet receptions to the

various celebrities and dignitaries, which

is further flared by the multicolored

lighting from the space frames hung atop,

and big screens flashing live images.

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The piazzas for the various venues have

been hard landscaped except for some of

the ornamental plantation one might find.

The shopping malls along these piazzas

and in the multiplex – IMAX keep the

visitor’s busy for most of their time.

SCULPTURES- DEFINING

THE IMAGERY

The Potsdamer Platz has a number of

sculptures that make the general imagery

of the place interesting. The main

sculpture that stands out on a very large

scale (picture beneath), is dedicated to

the fall of Berlin Wall and the unification

between the East and The West Germany.

These sculptures add a nice foreground to

the various buildings and are a major

landscaping element in the Piazza’s of

various venues.

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THE BUILT FORM

The glass box architecture has made it’s

impact in terms of the architectural

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expression of the venue. The Sony center

and the Berlinale Pallast have both used

the material in it’s different

manifestations, the construction employing

the latest that technology has to offer. One

can hardly escape the feeling of awe, once

the sail roof umbrella opens its fins at the

Sony center. The reflections in the glazed

facade of the center cast a long lasting

impression on the visitors. All this adds to

the experience of watching good cinema in

one of the best theatres in the Berlin

International Film Festival.

! The scale of the Sony center and the

built form around this complex make

the Berlin International Film Festival

stand out as an event in a typical urban

context.

! Lighting has been used as one of the

strong elements in making the city to

join the festive spirit for the entire 11

days of the event.

! The cable structure for the roofing of

the Sony Center has been such that

makes the building stand out as a

landmark, and hence easier for the

visitors to identify themselves with the

venue. The complex is well planned in

terms of the recreational spaces like the

Film museum and the shopping malls.

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��INFERENCES /CONCLUSIONS

! Though the scale for the Berlin

International Film Festival is many folds

as compared to the International Film

Festival of India but there needs to be

developed, a sense of strong imagery, like

the one found in the former. Architecture

has a big role to play, going beyond the

traditional limits, and venturing into

new domains that create strong visual

impact in the new site.

! The venue has to be such that, different

functional components on the site can be

well knit into a space that is one, like the

one found in Sony Center at the Potsdamer

Platz.

! Lighting is an important constituent at

Berlin Festival, so the excessive use of

glass in the buildings is justified. The

buildings come to life as soon the

artificial light take control over the

natural one.

! Landscaping for the Festival is not just

confined till the venues (the piazzas,

water fountains) but includes sculptures

that form an integral part of the

streetscape and add to the general

imagery.

! Facilities have been developed, like the

film museum in the Sony center along with

the never ending shopping malls, that keep

the visitors busy for most of their time

outside the theatre.

! The European Film Market is the only

venue which lacks architectural character,

as the temporary facility is put up in a

commercial space with the low height

Partitions. �

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