A New Initiative: Friends of Berlin Critics’ Week

The board of the German Film Critics Association (VdFk) together with the Critics’ Week collective have established “Friends of Berlin Critics’ Week,” a new membership program through which lovers of film and debate can help support the festival. Registration information can be found on the Critics’ Week website.

This year marks the twelfth edition of Berlin Critics’ Week. Since 2015, the festival has run parallel to the Berlinale as a space where screenings are combined with debates on the present and future of cinema. The project was initiated by the German Film Critics Association with the aim of exploring a different way of talking about film, namely, one that combines a film-critical perspective with an environment that’s free from economic imperatives—not currently possible at traditional film festivals.

 

What does Critics’ Week contribute to film culture?

 Berlin Critics’ Week was founded by members of the German Film Critics Association board with the idea of publicly strengthening film criticism as an integral part of film culture and linking it to important discourses around topics such as anti-racism, feminism, and postcolonialism. The festival has since presented numerous panels and programs that have worked to highlight the possibilities of activist film criticism—criticism that not only responds to cinema, but also takes center stage itself and provides targeted curatorial impetus.

Sustained press coverage and the enthusiastic participation of nearly 400 international guests in the first ten years of Critics’ Week confirm that, since its inception, it has occupied an important place in the German and international film landscape, lauded for nurturing a culture of debate and a sense of the significance of cinemas as places of social participation and discussion.

Why does Critics’ Week need support?

Since its first edition, in 2015, the Critics’ Week team has built stable alliances with funding partners such as the Kulturwerk Foundation of VG Bild-Kunst and the Rudolf Augstein Foundation, along with a broad network of institutions and experts. Through their support, Critics’ Week has flourished, earning an excellent reputation in Berlin and internationally. For several years, support has also been provided by the Capital Cultural Fund and the Berlin Senate’s cross-disciplinary funding program. 

And yet, as Critics’ Week is part of Berlin’s independent cultural scene, its funding situation changes from year to year, with funding applications having to be resubmitted annually. Furthermore, all of the festival’s powerful screenings and debates would be impossible without the work of volunteers. Even today, Critics’ Week is still largely based on the voluntary commitment of film critics and cultural workers. 

That is why we want to expand upon the support provided by institutional donors and dedicated employees by creating a circle of private supporters. The goal of the Freundeskreis, or the “Friends of Berlin Critics’ Week” community, is to strengthen the work of the team and to ensure that they can be rewarded appropriately even in the event of a dip in funding.

How to become a Friend of Berlin Critics’ Week

Friends of Berlin Critics’ Week membership is available with an annual contribution of €100 or more. Information on registration, the necessary documents and the benefits of a membership can be found on the Critics’ Week website. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us—just email Dennis Vetter at freundeskreis@wochederkritik.de.

We look forward to talking with you and to bringing the Berlin Critics’ Week into a shared future.

With collegial regards, 

The Board of the German Film Critics Association (Thomas Abeltshauser, Matthias Dell, Anne Küper, Ana Stanic, Hannes Wesselkämper)

The Berlin Critics’ Week Collective (Amos Borchert, Elena Friedrich, Till Kadritzke, Petra Palmer, Dennis Vetter)