The Circuit

With Blackberries down, a blackout at the Pusan fest party, unexciting sales, and things burning down across the globe (London and Seoul, to name just two) this international fest took on a doomsday feel last night at the Cinema for Peace Awards Gala at Berlin's Konzerthaus (pictured). 

The gala celebrated "the power of the moving image and its ability to unite cultures." So when Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody accepted an award for their humanitarian effort "Juno," journos looked over their shoulders for more signs of the apocalypse. 

And just when they thought things might be easing up, Nick Holdsworth delivered this report -- a Czech party that ran out of beer.

And not just any beer...

A Czech party where the beer runs out? Impossible in Prague.... but not in Berlin where guests at the "Citizen Havel" party at the Czech Embassy drank the bar dry in less than an hour and half.

That would be fine if the party was heaving with bouncing Czechs and their guests swilling industrial quantities of the one hoppy tipple on offer, Krusovice the 'royal beer'.

But there were only a few dozen mostly sober and suited types in the dreary old Communist-era concrete and glass monstrosity on Potsdamerstrasse and they were sipping wine.

You had to be an early arrival and lucky to have more than a couple of small beers before the draught beer spigot started spitting froth and the barman hung the towel up.

The party thinned out rapidly after that.

Oh, the humanity!