- Colt has been a steadfast pillar of the Berlinale for a remarkable 16 years, offering an exhaustive range of services that form the backbone of the festival’s digital infrastructure
Berlin, Germany, February 13th, 2024 – Colt Technology Services (Colt), the digital infrastructure company, extends its unwavering support for the 74th Berlin International Film Festival by once again assuming the role of Digital Cinema Partner from February 15th to 25th, 2024.
As the world’s largest public film festival, the Berlinale draws over 300,000 attendees to its 19 venues, where over 2,000 screenings unfold across ten days. With nearly all films now presented digitally, Colt’s robust fiber network seamlessly delivers the necessary data for each presentation. This network, interconnected with the company’s secure network hub and the festival’s servers, serves as the beating digital heart of the Berlinale, ensuring a seamless and captivating cinematic experience for all.
Since 2009, Colt has been a steadfast partner of the Berlinale, providing a comprehensive suite of services that underpin the festival’s technological infrastructure. From delivering broadcast-quality data transmission to seamless internet access, Colt’s expertise has been instrumental in ensuring a seamless and memorable experience for all international visitors. For 16 years, Colt connects the Berlinale to the digital universe, playing a crucial role in ensuring the seamless transmission and distribution of film data.
In addition to the technological advancement of digital cinema, Colt is also driving innovations in its own fibre network at the Berlinale like quantum-based encryption.
The most important facts about the digital heart of the Berlinale:
A total of 200 fiber kilometers of network capacity are provided by Colt for the festival;
- The Berlinale Film Office at Potsdamer Platz is connected to Colt’s network node with two 10 Gbit/s lines
- The festival’s main venues are connected to the network node via a star-shaped network of 10 Gbit/s and 1 Gbit/s lines;
- The network will handle roughly 1 petabyte of data during the Berlinale;
- The network will also be used to broadcast the opening gala and the award ceremony of the Honorary Bear and the Golden Bear live to other venues;
- All films submitted to the Berlinale are converted into a standardized digital format and stored on the Berlinale storage cluster;
- Film studios can upload their films directly to the Berlinale’s servers via a 10 gigabit internet connection, saving valuable time as it takes as little as 20 minutes for a package of film data to travel from Hollywood to Berlin.
Colt collaborates closely with the Berlinale to ensure that the networks of the film festival function seamlessly. This collaboration begins in the planning phase, where Colt customises the infrastructure to meet the specific needs of each year’s festival, and continues throughout the event itself. 
“Our technology plays a crucial role in providing filmmakers and film enthusiasts from around the world with an extraordinary experience at the Berlinale. This goes beyond merely providing network connectivity. It entails a shared commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience, a proactive service attitude, and unwavering trust in the expertise and experience of our partners. We have cultivated these qualities through years of collaboration with the Berlinale’s technical team. Our partnership with the Berlinale exemplifies our dedication to fostering ‘Extraordinary Connections’, a cornerstone of our approach to customer service and partnerships,” said Stephan Wanke, Regional Sales Director Central & Eastern Europe at Colt Technology Services.
Mariette Rissenbeek, Managing Director of the Berlin International Film Festival stated, “Colt’s unwavering support and cutting-edge technology have been instrumental in transforming the Berlinale into a digital marvel, shaping it into a beacon of innovation in the contemporary film festival landscape. We express our deepest gratitude for their steadfast partnership.”
About Colt Technology Services
Colt Technology Services (Colt) is a global digital infrastructure company which creates extraordinary connections to help businesses succeed. Powered by amazing people and like-minded partners, Colt is driven by its purpose: to put the power of the digital universe in the hands of its customers, wherever, whenever and however they choose.
Since 1992, Colt has set itself apart through its deep commitment to its customers, growing from its heritage in the City of London to a global business spanning 40+ countries, with over 6,000 employees and more than 80 offices around the world. Colt’s customers benefit from expansive digital infrastructure connecting 32,000 buildings across 230 cities, more than 50 Metropolitan Area Networks and 250+ Points of Presence across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America’s largest business hubs.
Privately owned, Colt is one of the most financially sound companies in the sector. Obsessed with delivering industry-leading customer experience, Colt is guided by its dedication to customer innovation, by its values and its responsibility to its customers, partners, people and the planet.
For more information, please visit www.colt.net
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