Berlin Film Festival Will Sign Gender-Parity Pledge

The Berlin Film Festival will sign a gender-parity pledge that Cannes, Venice and other fests have agreed to, according to Variety.

Berlinale's Dieter Kosslick will sign the pledge Feb. 9 at a gathering sponsored by Women in Film and Television Germany.

The new protocol commits the festival to achieving an even gender ratio in top management; it does not set up any mandatory quotas. It also calls for increased transparency in all areas of the festival.

Berlinale is expected to become the only major festival with a woman at the helm after Kosslick finishes his term later this year. Mariette Rissenbeek, the managing director of promotional organization German Film, will co-lead Berlinale with Carlo Chatrian.

This year's Berlinale features seven competition titles directed by women out of a total slate of 17 films - significantly higher than the number at the Cannes or Venice festivals.

"With the participation of women, especially directors, the Berlinale has been engaging in parity for a long time, even before the current debate began," Kosslick said in a statement. "Since 2004, we have been publishing the participation of female directors in the overall program. In this year's competition, 17 films compete for the Bear Awards, seven of which are by female directors. Even if this still isn't parity, this is a good development."

The 69th Berlin Film Festival runs Feb. 7-17.

Read the original story on Variety.

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