Last month’s 63rd annual Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) saw the premiere of Barco’s DP2K-10Sx projector which is specifically designed for smaller screens and was used for 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 art house 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 more than 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 atmosphere at art house cinemas of different neighborhoods. The so-called Flying Red Carpet has been travelling from art house cinema to art house 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. “Thanks to this new projector we were able to digitally project about 90 percent of the Berlinale movies compared to 75 percent in 2012.” When developing the DP2K-10Sx Barco closely kept the cinema operator in mind. Independent cinemas or art houses 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 ” says Jörg Brüggen sales manager digital cinema DACH. Tim Sinnaeve market director digital cinema at Barco says “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 art house 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.”
