Review of Open Lecture with Dieter Kosslick
Dieter Kosslick
ESMT Open Lecture with Dieter Kosslick on August 23, 2010Business meets Culture - 60 Years of Berlinale
Dieter Kosslick was welcomed to the Open Lecture at ESMT by Professor Jörg Rocholl who gave an overview on the Berlinale and Kosslick’s achievements by saying, "When Dieter Kosslick took over the Berlinale it was a very interesting festival but international Hollywood-stars did not find their way to Berlin. Something happened shortly after he took over. And Paul Thomas Anderson, winner of the Silver Bear for 'There will be Blood' in 2008 put this somehow in these words: Dieter seems to run a film festival as if he is having a party in his living room – it’s the biggest film festival in the world, it’s kind of a miracle.'"Jörg Rocholl also quoted the Deutsche Welle who wrote, "The Berlinale has grown in stature to become what Quentin Tarantino calls the world's most 'serious' film event. While Cannes and Venice command more prestige in the international film industry, the Berlinale's unique attachment to its city - it remains incredibly popular among local film-goers - its sprawling range of sections, and its history, have made it a unique event."
The more than 100 guests of the Open Lecture had the opportunity to watch a film about the Berlinale that was produced for the sponsors, after which Dieter Kosslick jumped right into the topic Business meets Culture and gave an exiting overview on the film business. In an two-person interview led by Moritz Döbler from Tagesspiegel, Kosslick provided insights into the international cultural landscape and his personal view on social developments.
With little more than 20 full-time employees and in high times 1700 part-time workers, Kosslick runs one of the biggest film festivals in the world. He pointed out the link between Berlin and its many film fans, who are able to buy tickets and watch films they would never be able to see at other festival occasions in Cannes or Toronto. But apart from the strong connection to the public audience, the Berlinale stands also for an idea, a message. Kosslick, who is not only the managing director of the festival, but also the person who selects the films that are included in the competition, points out that he wants to show films that give an insight in today’s society. Why do people behave like they do, why do they live the way they live, and how do they decide upon things? In a rousing speech he called on the audience to see the entire unnecessary grievance in daily life that is topic for action and change – if only people wanted to change things. The needs for activities, reflected in the films, range within the broad spectrum from the quality of food, to politics, to war, and violence.
Asked about the business side of the Berlinale, Dieter Kosslick referred to a study by the Investitionsbank Berlin that calculated for the effects on the Berlin economy: 560 full-time employers and several hundreds part-time worker can directly be linked to the festival. The impact on the gross domestic product for Berlin sums up to 85 millions EUR and in addition due to tax and other public charges the city earns another 11 million EUR.
The Open Lecture’s audience joined in a lively discussion with questions ranging from the future of Berlin to advice for the Senate of Berlin: Keep supporting the film business. Culture and science are the driving forces for the economic success of Berlin.
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