Lübeck, Oct. 28, 2020. Due to the ongoing upward trend in new covid 19 infections in Lübeck, the 62nd NFL will not be a hybrid festival as originally planned. The concept had long been to mount the festival live in cinemas and other venues, while also providing a streaming option for some films and events. The city-state imposed stricter guidelines on Monday Oct. 26 after the number of covid cases in Lübeck rose to 102 over the weekend. At the end of last week, Lübeck had 44.8 cases per 100,000, by Tuesday October 27, that number had passed a critical marker and reached 50.8. The newly-instituted measures include a comprehensive mask mandate for Lübeck’s Old Town island, the cancellation of all Christmas markets, and prohibiting the live screenings and events associated with the 62nd Nordic Film Days Lübeck.
“The well-being, safety, and health of visitors is a top priority. So, given the current situation, it was necessary to take a closer look at whether large-scale events were feasible. Unfortunately, that means that cinema screenings planned as part of the Nordic Film Days Lübeck must be cancelled this year”, the city announced.
Nordic Film Days Lübeck festival manager Susanne Kasimir responded to the news by saying, “Given the dramatic developments, the city’s decision was unavoidable. But we are prepared and in a good position. We’ll make sure there is a “festival feeling” and we will record impressions and interesting facts about the films, and background information in interviews, and post it online”. Linde Fröhlich, artistic director of the festival, added, “We really hoped to be able to present our programme of 160 wonderful films here in Lübeck on the big screen. But we were always aware that the pandemic is unpredictable, so we took a two-pronged approach to planning. We deeply regret that the Nordische Filmtage won’t be taking place in Lübeck’s cinemas and other venues. But it makes us very happy that more than 85 percent of our programme will be available for streaming from anywhere in Germany. We hope that the fans of Nordic cinema will enjoy many hours of entertainment with the films, that they discover new things, and are inspired, and we also hope the online festival will attract many new fans”.
So the 62nd Nordic Film Days Lübeck from November 4 – 8 will be a strictly virtual festival. More than 140 of the 160 films that make up this year’s programme will be available for streaming online via our partner Culturebase.org. That means that for the first time, the festival films will be available to a wider audience throughout Germany. The new virtual festival format will be complemented by a special page at the NFL home page www.nordische-filmtage.de, where video clips will be posted that provide background on the filmmakers’ work, interviews, and introductions to the films. New content will also be available and continually updated on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram/@nordicfilmdays and the NFL YouTube channel.
Advance payment for streamed films will begin as planned on Nov. 1, 2020 at 1pm via the streaming link nordische-filmtage.culturebase.org, which will go live on November 1, 2020.
Users can set up an account using an e-mail address and password any time after that. Films can be “rented” for 7 euros (normal price) or 9 euros (which includes a 2-euro donation). The films available for streaming will be marked as such on the festival homepage. Beginning on the first day of the festival, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, streaming of all the films will be activated and they can be watched at any time until the end of the festival. Once starting to play a film, the user will have 24 hours to watch it. Additional information on the streaming can be found at www.nordische-filmtage.de.
Contact
Nordische Filmtage Lübeck
Press and public information office
presse@nordische-filmtage.de
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