Shine a Light, a documentary about the Rolling Stones directed by Martin Scorsese, opened the Berlin film festival on Thursday.

Shine a Light, based on two 2006 concerts at New York's Beacon Theatre, screened out of competition.

Mick Jagger arrives at a news conference in Berlin on Thursday ahead of a screening of a documentary about the Rolling Stones, Shine a Light.
(Michael Sohn/ Associated Press)

 "The nature of the music is something that has inspired me constantly throughout the years," Scorsese said at a news conference Thursday.

"Whenever I saw the show I'd get excited, want to get a camera up there," he said.

Scorsese discussed his plan with Stones singer Mick Jagger and convinced him the film must be shot in the intimate confines of a small club.

Jagger said Scorsese achieved a "really intimate look about what's actually going on in the relationships on the stage, which I've never really seen in a concert movie before." 

Scorsese achieved a pitch-perfect portrait of Bob Dylan in 2005 with No Direction Home, and he is also planning a film portrait of the late George Harrison.

It's not the only music-themed film at the Berlinale, the first of Europe's most influential film festivals.

Also screening is Neil Young's CSNY: Déjà Vu, which follows Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young on tour to protest against the war in Iraq, and Bananaz, the story of Damon Albarn's virtual band, Gorillaz.

Another documentary focuses on heavy metal rockers in Baghdad.

In a last-minute hitch, two members of the international jury, Danish director Susanne Bier and French actress Sandrine Bonnaire, stepped down on opening day.

Bier said she had to leave for the U.S. to work on her next film, Lost for Words, while Bonnaire cited family reasons.

They won't be replaced, leaving a jury of six to decide festival awards.

There are 21 films competing for the main prize at the Berlin Film Festival, the Golden Bear.

Among them are Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, which has an Oscar nomination for best picture, and British director Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky.

15 films with Canadian links

Israeli director Amos Kollek has entered Restless, partly shot in Canada, about a soldier who goes looking for the father he never knew.

Altogether, there are 15 films with Canadian connections screening at the Berlinale, including Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg, which fronts the Forum section, and Tanaz Eshaghian's Be Like Others and Yoav Shamir's Flipping Out, also in the Forum.

Yves-Christian Fournier's world premiere of Tout est parfait is part of the Panorama program as are Bruce LaBruce's Otto; or, Up with Dead People and Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette's Le Ring. 

Maxime Desmons's Bonne Mère and Claudia Morgado's No Bikini are highlighted in the Berlinale Shorts program.

Madonna is presenting her first effort as director, Filth and Wisdom, a musical drama about a Russian immigrant.

The pop singer is expected to walk the red carpet in Berlin this year, along with stars such as Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, Daniel Day-Lewis, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and members of the Rolling Stones.

With files from the Associated Press