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Thursday, February 8----Two legends collided in one city tonight as the Berlin International Film Festival began this evening. For one night only, Edith Piaf waltzed with Marlene Dietrich on the steps of the Berlinale Palast, in the heart of the "new Berlin" Potsdamer Platz. Of course, the two, most deceased, were not dancing in the flesh. But when the music of Edith Piaf, as captured in the Berlinale Opening Night Film LA VIE EN ROSE, spilled onto the streets of Marlene Dietrich Platz, two legends most certainly did embrace and effortlessly melted into a tango. All this amidst the eye-popping modernist architecture of the Potsdamer Platz. Swoon.

The Opening Gala of the 57th Berlin International Film Festival, held in the magnificently well appointed Berlinale Palast at Potsdamer Platz, will be broadcast live on television (ZDF/3sat). Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick opened the Festival together with Minister of State and Commissioner for Cultural and Media Affairs Bernd Neumann, Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit and Jury President Paul Schrader. TV presenter Charlotte Roche hosted the show, with musical accompaniment by Jan Delay and Joy Denalane. The International Jury was introduced to thunderous applause, and then the screening began of the world premiere of LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier Dahan.

The invited guests begin arriving at the red carpet at 6:00pm, which stretched into the cavernous Berlinale Palast. Olivier Dahan, the director, as well as Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Emmanuelle Seigner and Jean Pierre Martins, the stars of the film, were in attendance.

A mix of German film stars and international directors, actors, producers and government and cultural mucky-mucks attending:
Michael Ballhaus, Wolfgang Becker, Bibiana Beglau, Moritz Bleibtreu, August Diehl, Helmut Dietl, Angelica Domröse, Doris Dörrie, Andreas Dresen, Bernd Eichinger, Hannelore Elsner, Bruno Ganz, Jeff Goldblum, Rebecca Horn, Thomas Kretschmann, Joachim Król, Günter Lamprecht, Gudrun Landgrebe, Eva Mattes, Arthur Penn, Franka Potente, Rosa von Praunheim, Peter Rommel, Volker Schlöndorff, Jan Schütte, Steven Soderbergh, Hilmar Thate, Margarethe von Trotta, Tom Tykwer, and Wim Wenders.

Much will reported on this site in the coming days, we invite you to come back and sample Berlin.....where legends still meet.

Sandy Mandelberger
Berlin Online Dailies Editor