An Apple Orchard, Mutts, and IT Innovation

What does the movie ‘Selbstkritik eines bürgerlichen Hundes‘ (Self-Criticism of a Bourgeois Dog) – a comedy about an apple orchard, communism, and the utopic world of art – have to do with IT innovation? Surprisingly, a great deal! It was screened last year at the 67th Berlinale, one of the most important events in the film industry. Movies have long gone digital, and this work by up-and-coming filmmaker Julian Radlmaier is no exception; it was digitally transmitted overnight to the screening venues.

That doesn’t sound particularly spectacular. However, over 1,200 films are screened at the Berlinale, distributed within just a handful of days via a rapid fiber optic network to 25 screening locations with a total of 60 screens: all at the click of a mouse. Those are some pretty impressive figures! The process involves an enormous 500 terabytes of data, plus over 300,000 film fans who can hardly wait for the screenings. It’s all made possible by the Isilon storage cluster from Dell EMC, which offers 68 petabytes of memory. This ensures that everything behind the scenes of the Berlinale runs smoothly. The cluster can be scaled as desired, is incredibly easy to manage, and is wholly fail-safe – fans would show no mercy if there were even the slightest delay, to say nothing of a cancellation.

Digitization has revolutionized the film industry via highly innovative IT systems, and we are proud to have made our small contribution to that field. As those responsible for IT at the Berlinale – especially after a fling in 2016 – are more than satisfied with the existing Dell EMC solution, ‘Isle of Dogs,’ a whimsical animated film by Wes Anderson about a corrupt mayor, his son, and many mutts, will also be transmitted digitally at this year’s 68th Berlinale. So will 1,200 other films – without interruptions. We hope the thousands of movie fans at the screening locations around Potsdamer Platz enjoy the show.

If you speak German, make sure you also check out the video Dell EMC@Berlinale 2018!