The 57th Berlin Film Festival opened on Thursday with the screening of a French film featuring thetroubled and legendary life of famous French singer Edith Piaf.

La Vie en Rose, directed by French-born Olivier Dahan, depicts the life story of Piaf from a child brought up by her grandmother,who was running a brothel, to a world famous superstar.

The film, starred by Marion Cotillard, a French rising star, is among the 26 films from different countries to be shown in the festival's main competition section to vying for the coveted Golden Bear award.

During the 10-day film festival, around 400 films are to be screened in different sections with nearly 100 world premieres.

International stars who will show up at the festival, one of the world's top three of its kind, include Britain's Ben Kingsley,U.S. actors Robert de Niro and Matt Damon.

Chinese film Tu Ya De Hun Shi is also among the 26 film in the widely watched competition section.

American director Paul Schrader presides over the seven-member jury this year, which includes Palestinian actor and director Hiam Abbass, German actor Mario Adorf, Hong Kong film producer Nansun Shi, Danish film editor Molly Malene Stensgaard, Mexican-born actor Gael Garcia Bernal and U.S. famous actor Willem Dafoe.

Source: Xinhua