BERLIN.- Tricia Tuttle, former director of the London Film Festival, will be the new director of the Berlin International Film Festival, popularly known as The Berlinale, next year. The news was confirmed on Tuesday by the Minister of Culture German.
Tuttle, who is American, will replace the outgoing two directors in April, formed by the director executive Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian. They will lead the upcoming 74th edition of the annual event, which will be held from February 15 to 25 with the Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o as president of the jury.
Rissenbeek and Chatrian took the helm in 2019, replacing veteran festival director Dieter Kosslick.
After Rissenbeek decided last year not to renew his contract, Culture Minister Claudia Roth said the festival should once again be run by one person, and Chatrian announced that he too would resign.
“Tricia Tuttle brings with her 25 years of experience in film and film festivals,” Roth said in a statement, adding that the London festival gained audience and importance under her leadership and became more colorful and diverse.
“Above all, he convinced us with his clear ideas about the artistic perspectives of the Berlinale, modern and team-oriented festival management, sustainable support for young talents and contemporary sponsorship models,” added Roth.
Tuttle is currently head of fiction direction at the UK’s National Film and Television School.
The Berlin festival is one of the major European film festivals, although, falling in winter in the German capital, it does not match the glamor of its counterparts in Cannes and Venice, but prides itself on being open to a wider audience.
Tuttle described it as “a leader among top-tier film festivals: welcoming and inclusive, and packed with an impressive diversity of films.” He said it was “an immense thrill and a privilege” to lead the event.
FUENTE: AP
