The Big "B"

Watch out for the Big "B" as it appears in mid-January in locations around the city, beginning with Potsdamer Platz. The letter B, in toothpaste white, gleams against a red background, from the heart of which white rays fan out, creating the optical illusion of concentric circles like the twists of candy mints.

This is the new poster for the Berlinale 2011, Berlin's International Film Festival, and it's sure to catch your eye. The artwork was designed by the Boros Agency and harks back to poster art of the 1920s and 30s, the golden age of film. In fact, you can see the same design elements in an early 1930s poster for Scho-Ka-Kola, a popular Berlin chocolate company.

photo: copyright, Frank Vincentz (Wikimedia Commons)

The strobe-like effect, according to Boros, gives visual form to the festival's magnetic draw for talent from around the world.

Boros's concept has already been given the thumbs up by graphic designers and Berlin's avid festival fans, who like the reference to pre-war Berlin but also to the very contemporary flirtation with the Golden 20s. It completely overshadows last year's motif, which combined mint green and lilac blocks of color, painstakingly stitching the names of all 15.000 films showed in 60 years of the Berlinale into the title -- not exactly easy on the eye.

The Berlinale is a long-cherished institution. It opened with Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" back in 1951, when Berlin was still struggling to emerge from the rubble and destruction of World War II. What makes it special is that, unlike Cannes, where tickets are available for invitees only, the Berlinale is a festival for all and has one of the largest film festival audiences in the world. This year, its 61st appearance, it runs from February 10-20 and features over 400 films from across the globe. Mark the dates on your calendar!


The Berlinale runs from February 10-20, 2011. The premiere film is the Coen brothers's "True Grit". Tickets run from 7-11 EUR and are available at the central ticket counter at the Arkaden shopping mall (Potsdamer Platz) or at various theater box offices (listed in the Festival catalog) but will also be available online. Students receive half-price tickets at the box office. See the Berlinale website for more details.