Chinese film 'Grandmaster' opens 63rd Berlinale

The 63rd Berlin film festival opens Thursday with a martial arts epic "The grandmaster" of Chinese director Wong Kar Wai who will also lead the jury of this Berlinale.

"Different from Cannes or Venice, Berlinale is a film festival not only dedicated to the film professionals and the media, but also to the audience," the Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

Greeting the opening of the grand gala Thursday, Kosslick said Berlinale takes pride in its comprehensive program and boasts the world's biggest audiences, and a consummate structure for a modern festival.

"Our film gala boasts the biggest audience, with 300,000 cinema goers and 20,000 professional visitors from 130 countries every year," he said.

"We have 9 more sections in addition to the competition program. The program of Panorama - which is dedicated to Arthouse cinema - and of Generation - which is our youth and childrens section - have already invited numerous films from all over the world, notably Asia." Kosslick said.

Around 400 films will be put on in the 10 different sections, highlighting different movie types, according to the director.

Mentioning a program that combines screening with dinners afterward prepared by top chefs, Kosslick said it caters for a wide range of different audiences. "This is also interesting for the professionals that attend the European Film Market."

With regard to the themes and contents, the perennial Berlinale director noticed that many filmmaker did take their special views into the current society, by presenting "the fate of individuals" as well as "what is going on in a society."