The Berlinale is slowly coming to an end, and when I look back at the last couple of days, they were filled with exciting, fun and thought-provoking experiences. From running late to a press conference, but ending at a screening of a documentary; from missing Leonardo DiCaprio, but watching a short film in a miniature-cinema; and from being stunned by future film-talents soon coming our way through the Berlinale Talent Campus, I can truly say that the Berlinale was a great success. Then I got to thinking, if I had such wonderful experiences during the Berlinale, what must the experiences of the other five thousand visitors be like?

Yesterday was the kick-off of the world’s largest public filmfestival: The Berlinale. And it is a special occasion, the celebration of the filmfestival’s sixtieth birthday. Happy Birthday Berlinale! The opening ceremony showed the world-premiere of the chinese film “Tuan Yuan“ (“Together Apart“) by Wang Quan’an, who already won the much sought after Golden Bear in ’07. Like in the past years, a number of 400 films will be shown. Of these, twenty films are competing for the Golden and Silver Bears. Like every year, there is a judging panel that awards the best production towards the end of the filmfestival.

So if its the same procedure as every year, you might ask yourself what makes the Berlinale so special?