From 7 to 17 February last, digital cinema pioneer Barco successfully added a new chapter to its 10-year partnership with the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale): the recent 63th annual Berlinale saw the premiere of Barco’s DP2K-10Sx projector. Specifically designed for smaller screens, the new projector proved a perfect fit for the Berlinale’s many screenings in the intimate setting of small cinema theaters.
“Over the past ten years Barco has built up a successful partnership with the Berlinale,” says Theodore Marescaux, Product Manager Digital Cinema at Barco. The festival offers a complete cinematic experience ranging from mainstream cinema screenings as well as independent and arthouse films to experimental projects. This year’s edition was the ideal opportunity to launch the new compact DP2K-10Sx projector on the German, Austrian and Swiss markets.”
Some of the over 800 films at the European Film Market of the Berlinale are screened exclusively for a smaller audience of industry professionals. The festival also created the initiative ‘Berlinale goes Kiez’ to create festival athmosphere at arthouse cinemas of different neighborhoods. The so called ‘Flying Red Carpet’ has been travelling from arthouse cinema to arthouse cinema on seven evenings during the festival, screening two films from the official program each day. “Most quality projectors are too big to install in these smaller cinemas,” says Ove Sander, Technical Manager Digital Cinema. Barco’s DP2K-10Sx, however, is a perfect fit. “Thanks to this new projector, we were able to digitally project about 90% of the Berlinale movies, compared to 75% in 2012.”
Brightness and ease-of-use
When developing the DP2K-10Sx, Barco closely kept the cinema operator in mind. Independent cinemas or arthouses are typically small businesses, sometimes even family-run, where everyone helps out. “Our new DP2K-10Sx integrates our leading digital cinema technologies into a compact, scalable and cost-effective platform without sacrificing image quality. To make sure everyone can work with it, we made a huge effort to make it user-friendly,” adds Jörg Brüggen, Sales Manager Digital Cinema DACH.
Access to more content
Tim Sinnaeve, Market Director Digital Cinema at Barco: “Going digital is a big and important step for smaller cinemas. There is a lot of concern in the industry that the transition from 35mm to digital threatens the survival of smaller, independent and arthouse cinemas that take up a unique position in the cinema landscape. Barco strongly believes that Digital Cinema also offers a unique opportunity for these cinemas to thrive, as it offers them flexibility in their programming and new business opportunities. Our new projector will make the transition easier for smaller theaters and help them grasp these new opportunities.”
Integrated Media Server
The Barco DP2K-10Sx projector comes as a fully integrated, DCI-compliant projector – including a 0.69” DLP Cinema® projector, a high-grade cinema lens and an Integrated Media Server with integrated redundant storage. In its class it offers the brightest and sharpest image quality, being the perfect worry-free solution to go digital with minimal hassle and risk.
About the Berlin International Film Festival
The public program of the Berlin International Film Festival shows about 400 films per year, mostly global or international premieres. Films of every genre, length and format find their niche in the various sections. The Berlinale is a great cultural event and one of the most important dates in the calendar for the international film industry. Around 300,000 sold tickets, almost 20,000 professional visitors from 130 countries, including about 4,000 journalists: art, glamour, parties and business are all inseparably linked at the Berlinale. The most important meeting-point is the European Film Market (EFM). Around 400 companies and 8,000 professionals from 90 countries build and foster contacts here, strengthen their position in the industry or negotiate film rights. In 2013 the EFM has screened 816 films of which a total of 591 were going to be market premières.