Celebrating Film in Berlin

Berlin is quickly filling up with stars on Wednesday. Goldie Hawn is here, along with partner Kurt Russell. Even seventy-eight-year-old Jerry Lewis made the trip, and many others are on the way. Thursday marks the official kick-off of celebrity-spotting season in Berlin with the start of this year's prestigious Berlin film festival, the Berlinale . Dozens of films will compete for the Golden Bear -- given to the festival's best film -- and many other prizes, from best actor to best debut director.

In contrast to recent years, the 2005 version of the festival will feature a mostly European line-up. Festival director Dieter Kosslick was careful to point out that the paucity of US films was in no way a political decision, but rather reflects the robust and creative European film industry. "You can see that clearly with German films," he said in an interview with Reuters . "They're on an incredible winning streak, with awards and a fast-growing home box office. It's the same across Europe."

Ignoring Worldwide Crisis

For seven years, the international humanitarian medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been publishing their top ten most underreported humanitarian stories. This year's version  puts Uganda, Congo, and Colombia atop the list of stories that the media has largely ignored. "The outpouring of support for people in South Asia shows the kind of positive impact media coverage can have on efforts to bring relief to people in crisis," said Nicolas de Torrente, Executive Director of MSF-USA. "Why can't it extend to those trapped by wars or dying by the millions from a disease like TB? Silence is the best ally of atrocities...."