The Hollywood comedy “Hail, Caesar!” from Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen opened the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. The star ensemble around George Clooney and the appearance of Berlinale jury president Meryl Streep at the premiere triggered a flurry of flashes on the red carpet.
Also premiering was the Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro, which chauffeured the stars to the red carpet purely on electric power and emission-free. Audi has been one of the primary partners of the Berlinale since 2014 and not only provides the fleet, but also stages the Berlinale Open House, a comprehensive side program for film fans and trade visitors.
The stars of this year’s Berlinale will ride to the Berlinale Palast in the new Audi Q7 e-tron quattro. The plug-in hybrid with quattro drive offers luxury-class comfort combined with battery-electric and thus emission-free operation. Audi has deployed some 300 automobiles at the Berlinale, and roughly 100 of them are equipped with hybrid drivetrains. “The Berlinale is not only one of the film industry’s most important events, it is also an international ambassador for relevant social topics,” said Audi Board Member for Sales and Marketing Dietmar Voggenreiter. “To make the cultural exchange, the cinematic highlights and the ride to the red carpet more electrifying than ever, we brought an electric fleet to Berlin this year.”
Audi marked another technical milestone at the Berlinale with a driverless VIP shuttle. A piloted Audi A8 L W12 delivered internationally acclaimed actor and Audi brand ambassador Daniel Brühl to the Berlinale Palast. The technology platform used distinctive buildings for orientation and compared the information against a precise map. Combined with the data from the computation of its own motion, the piloted Audi A8 chauffeured the passengers safely to the red carpet.
A diverse, celebrity-studded program awaits visitors in the Audi Berlinale Lounge on Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. During the day, current themes from the Berlinale plus the interface between the film and automotive industry are the topic of discussion at the Berlinale Open House. In the evenings, renowned actors and actresses such as Jasmin Tabatabai, Meret Becker or Tom Schilling play live with their bands as part of the Berlinale Lounge Nights. Film fans can follow the #AudiBerlinale hashtag to take part virtually and keep up with the latest events and news associated with the 66th Berlinale.
The Berlinale is a truly superb film festival. In 2015, more than half-a-million people attended 1,098 screenings of a total of 443 different films, most of which were world or international premieres.
