A short movie by Airinë Nuqi, Stephen Benkert, and Raf Yengibaryan (MA Digital Journalism) produced as part of the module Media Production with lecturer Patrik Baab.

With the lockdown restrictions in place as preventative measures against the Corona pandemic, sex clubs in Berlin have been forced to adapt in new ways – with an idea on how to open safely in the future. Despite the fact that the State of Berlin has allocated funds to support the clubs, in particular by subsidizing the rent and paying up to 60% of the clubs pre-pandemic income, the difficulties that the nightlife industry is facing now are very challenging and tough. The Berlin Senate allocates about 11 million euros a month to preserve the clubs and the jobs they provide, but what does this mean for such a huge industry like the Berlin nightlife industry?

The famous sex club “Insomnia”, a place where adults, in pre-corona times, came to dance, drink and have fun and of course have sex like all many clubs in Berlin, was also forced to close its doors to visitors in early March 2020. Dominique, the owner of the club, and her team have found a very creative, albeit not very optimal solution to alleviate financial difficulties and try to keep the insomnia sex club in business. In addition to regular weekend streams, where techno sounds and a limited number of people dance live, the club team also decided to bring sex itself to the screens of their visitors and earn income from it. Despite this temporary solution, Dominique, like all representatives of the night industry, is very hopeful for another solution – rapid testing.

Our group met with the club owner, Dominique, through connections, and we were able to conduct a sight seeing of the club the same day. Following this, we visited the club to witness and record one of their streaming nights, as well as interview the owner of the club, tech support and a performer. In addition to this, our team managed to talk to a representative from the Club Commission, who gave us more insight into the current survival strategy of some Berlin nightclubs.

To watch the short movie, follow the link below: