After expressing some earlier doubts, Berlinale has confirmed that the Summer Special set for June 9-20, 2021 will take place as an outdoor open-air cinema experience at 16 venues.

The festival cited both Berlin’s falling 7-day incidence for COVID-19, as well as positive signals by government offices to support the request for a pilot project with mandatory testing.

“We’re extremely pleased about the new concept for the Berlinale Summer Special, despite having planned it differently at the outset. Audiences will be getting a very special, collective festival experience – something we’ve all been missing for such a long time. The Summer Special is geared towards re-igniting the desire to go to the cinema, and to contributing to the revival of cultural activities with an audience. We’ll be able to present the festival program to Berlin audiences in almost every part of the city at a total of 16 venues, including a specially created outdoor cinema at the historic Museum Island Berlin as the main venue. The “Kiez-Kino” local cinema screenings will also take place as outdoor events, and be more strongly represented in different parts of the city. Thanks to the generous additional funding by the BKM, Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media Monika Grütters, for the festival’s two-phase format in 2021, and the support of the Berlin Senate, we can now prepare the Summer Special and look forward to welcoming filmmakers and jury members who can make the journey to Berlin in June,” comment the directors of the Berlinale, Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, on their recent decision.

The films of the Berlinale Summer Special will be screened at these open-air cinema locations:

Freiluftkino Museumsinsel
Location: Bodestr. 1-3, 10178 Berlin

Freiluftkino Friedrichshain
Location: Volkspark Friedrichshain, 10249 Berlin

Freiluftkino Rehberge
Location: Volkspark Rehberge, 13351 Berlin

Freiluftkino Kreuzberg
Location: Hof des Kunstquartier Bethanien am Mariannenplatz, entrance via Adalbertstraße, 10997 Berlin

Freiluftkino Hasenheide
Location: Volkspark Hasenheide, 10967 Berlin

ARTE Sommerkino Kulturforum
Location: Matthäikirchplatz 4/6, 10785 Berlin

ARTE Sommerkino Schloss Charlottenburg
Location: Spandauer Damm 10-22, 14059 Berlin

Open Air Kino HKW
Location: John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin

silent green
Location: Gerichtstr. 35, 13347 Berlin

The open-air screenings will also take place in following “Kiez-Kino” cinemas:

Atelier Gardens Freiluftkino @ BUFA
Location: Oberlandstr. 26-35, 12099 Berlin

Freilichtbühne Weißensee
Location: Große Seestr.10, 13086 Berlin

Freiluftkino Biesdorfer Parkbühne
Location: Schlosspark Biesdorf, Nordpromenade 5, 12683 Berlin

Freiluftkino Friedrichshagen
Location: Hinter dem Kurpark 13, 12587 Berlin

Freiluftkino Pompeji
Location: Laskerstr. 5, 10245 Berlin

Freiluftkino of Filmrauschpalast
Location: Lehrterstr. 35,10557, Berlin

Frischluftkino@Studentendorf
Location: Wasgenstraße 75, 14129 Berlin