Film festivals can compete with smartphones: Berlinale chief

epa05129681 A man walks past posters advertizing the 2016 Berlinale at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany, 27 January 2016. The Berlin International Film Festival will take place from 11 to 21 Febuary 2016. EPA/MICHAEL KAPPELER

BERLIN: Film festivals still have a bright future in a world in which more audiences watch movies and television series on smaller and smaller devices, the veteran head of Germany’s Berlinale says. 

The pageantry of stars on the red carpet, the magic of a premiere with a giddy crowd, the glory of a big screen and surround sound – Berlin film festival director Dieter Kosslick said true cinema-lovers would in the long run never settle for anything less.