Director reviews 10 years' journey with Berlinale
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Dieter Kosslick, the man responsible for choosing films, escorting celebrities down the red carpet and making Berlin feel at home in his cinematic living room, shared with Xinhua his 10 years as festival director of the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale).
"For the 61st edition of Berlinale we are in a new decade, and we want to go young and go with films that we have no idea if they really work, if they are big or epic enough," Kosslick said.
Since May 2001 Kosslick has overseen the style, content and direction of Berlinale. During his tenure as director, Kosslick initiated many programs in the festival that were sometimes met with skepticism and disbelief.
"I have a lot of ideas and mostly we try to realize these ideas; Talent campus, Co-production Market, the Culinary Cinema. Don't forget I am 25 years in film," he said
Kosslick, whose film background reads like a hefty list of noteworthy Cinema Foundation titles, also studied communications, politics and education in Munich.
His profound interest in the link between slow food, agriculture and film led the Berlin Film Festival to create the "Culinary Cinema." For the past five years, viewers have had a chance to see a film linked to a culture's food and then have a meal prepared in the theme of the film.
"Five years ago they thought I was crazy. What is he talking about, food and agriculture? What has it do with cinema? Well...It's diversity from all countries," he said.
Last year's "Culinary Cinema" included the opening film, "Tuan Yuan," from Chinese director Wang Quan'an. Audiences were given the opportunity, after watching the film, to try the famous Chinese soup "Buddha jumps over the wall."
In many ways, Kosslick often relates the pleasures of food to the enjoyment of cinema.
"The Berlinale wants to be like good chocolate: sweet, bitter, tasty, fair trade, organic and we are fighting for cultural diversity as we fight for food diversity in the world," he said.
Over the past 10 years, the Berlin Film Festival has established itself as one of the three greatest festivals. Each year Kosslick plays MC to an audience of stars, dignitaries and Berliners.
On the topic of opening night speeches, Kosslick said, "I don't have a prepared speech. I just try. I think about them, but most of the time I have no idea. I thought this year if I should say something about my ten years, or biggest disasters, but that would take too long."
New on the roster of films this year are three 3D films in the official selection. "Pina" is a 3D dance film from acclaimed director Wim Wenders, "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" a documentary from last year's jury president Werner Herzog, and "Tales of the Night" a 3D film that also combines animation. None of the films were big studio films like James Cameron's "Avatar."
"We waited three years to show a 3D, now we found the 3D films we want to show. We want to prove today that you can use 3D technology in the art house circles of the cinema," he said.
Like most years, this year's Berlin Film Festival drew huge crowds into Germany's capital,and some came for Dieter Kosslick.
Timothy Ney, a film producer who has been to the Berlin Film Festival and the European Film Market for the last 15 years, said "Dieter Kosslick has done a wonderful job building the Berlinale, so it's not only a festival for the public, but also one of the two best markets for world's cinema."
On occasion, Kosslick has also been sharply critiqued for not having enough A-list stars.
"In my opinion we have enough stars, it's how you look at it. Last year it was crazy, Polanski...Scoreses's 'Shutter Island' and 'Metropolis' screening at the Brandenburg Gate," Kosslick said.
The festival will wind down on Feb. 19 when Dieter Kosslick and Jury President Isabella Rossellini will hand out the Golden Bear.
"I don't want to make each year the same festival," Kosslick said, "I have to be alive."
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