Berlin Film Festival to go ahead next February despite pandemic

FILE PHOTO: The awarded pose for a family picture after the awards ceremony at the 70th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 29, 2020. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Berlin Film Festival will go ahead next February as planned despite the COVID-19 pandemic, its organisers said on Monday, as Germany battles a surge in infections linked to returning holidaymakers, large family gatherings and nightlife.

The film festival, also known as the Berlinale, is being planned as a physical festival while a hybrid model of virtual and on-site events is intended for the European Film Market (EFM) event running at the same time, the organisers said in a statement.