In the days preceding Thursday's festival kick-off, some of the local press chose to compare the February skies of Berlin to the spring sunshine of Cannes.
Tagezeitung points out, however, that while Berlin may not have the meteorological accoutrements to compete with the glamour of Cannes, it has long been an audience festival. Despite the cold, Tagesspiegel told how premiere screenings for Smilla's Sense of Snow and The Crucible sold out three days in advance.
The usual rumours of boycotting by stars and studios are unfounded, writes Die Welt. The paper also reports the contrary: a multitude of stars and an equal number of well-known directors are expected. It also points out France and China as being especially well represented in the competition this year. The article reports that over 100 film companies have product to sell or distribute at the film market. Beki Probst, market director, is quoted as saying Berlin is unique among festivals for its access to smaller productions.
When asked to comment on 'the trend in film toward the specifically regional as opposed to a 'Europudding',' jury president Jack Lang told Tagesspiegel that 'It may sound strange, but film is something extremely provincial, closely tied to personal experience.'
Kim Novak told the Berliner Morgenpost that the tribute to her at this year's festival is a 'dream come true' and she's looking forward to exchanging ideas with the public. Reminiscing about Hollywood, Ms Novak said that while she considered studio head Harry Cohn a 'dictator' at the time, she is now 'grateful to him because he taught me discipline. He kept me from resting on my laurels.' Meredith Jones
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