The Berlinale is revitalising its Potsdamer Platz location with two new venues close to the Berlinale Palast and the CinemaxX cinema and within easy reach of the European Film Market in the Gropius Bau.

The Stage Bluemax Theatre on Marlene-Dietrich-Platz will become a new premiere cinema for the next festival. After the remodelling, it will have a capacity of around 500 seats and offer screenings throughout the entire festival period. The new venue will be home to the newly created competition for feature film debuts, Perspectivesbut will also host important premieres from other Berlinale sections.

In addition, the Berlinale HUB75 will be a temporary festival lounge at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. The HUB75 will offer a series of morning talks and events for the public. Admission will be free of charge. HUB75 will also provide a networking space for guests from the industry and filmmakers. Details of the programme for the public and the industry will be announced in January.

"Since the closure and renovation of very important cinemas at Potsdamer Platz in 2022, the Berlinale has lost some of its former presence and hustle and bustle at our centre. The new venues are part of our longer-term plans to make the heart of the festival livelier and more accessible again and to give this central hub additional energy and visibility," says Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle.

Due to the closure of some important cinemas in the area and the reduction in capacity at other venues, the festival had around 150,000 fewer screening places around Potsdamer Platz. These seats could be compensated for by other Berlinale venues, but the goal remains to offer more opportunities on the square again.
The new plans will facilitate work and networking for Berlinale professionals, but also create new access points for the public.

Now that the construction work around the Berlinale Palast is almost complete, the festival can make better use of the square in its new design and create more opportunities for encounters with the new layout.

All venues of the Berlinale 2025 will be announced in December.