Chinese Films Help Promote Mutual Understanding: Berlinale Director

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-17 09:18

The Berlin film festival director, Dieter Kosslick, has welcomed more Chinese films to join the event, which he said would help boost mutual understanding between Chinese and Western audiences.

"These (Chinese) films will help people understand each other more and live more peacefully with each other," Kosslick told Xinhua in an interview on Saturday.

"The audience of Berlinale love Chinese films...I hope more Chinese films can join next year," said Kosslick, director of the festival, known as Berlinale.

"I am always happy when a Chinese film gets a golden bear," he said.

The festival director noted that Berlinale has a long tradition with Chinese films.

"Before I came here, we have already had a lot of Chinese films, and some films were made by famous Chinese directors like Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou," Kosslick said.

Chinese films "are beautifully made and have fantastic actors and good stories," he said.

Kosslick said he likes Chen's film "Forever enthralled" at this year's festival, which tells about the life story of Mei Lanfang, one of China's most recognized Peking Opera masters.

"Through this story we know what has happened and how it happened to Peking Opera in the last several decades," he said.

"This story gives us a new perspective on what has happened with this great culture of Peking Opera," he said.

Meanwhile, Kosslick said he understands that many Chinese directors now prefer making big commercial films instead of art movies.

However, he pointed out that commercial films can not be just made, because it is the audience who decide whether a film can be commercially successful or not.

"If the audience don't go to the cinema, then the film was not commercial," he said.

The directors should make the films "they want to make," otherwise they will never be successful," he said.

Kosslick clarified that commercial films are not excluded in film festivals. Festivals usually prefer more artistic films, but they also present commercial films instead of just one type of films, he added.

On Saturday, Peruvian film "The Milk of Sorrow" directed by Claudia Llosa won the Golden Bear for the best film on the Berlinale.

Berlinale, one of the world's leading film festivals, was founded in 1951. The festival has been held annually since 1978.