[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In a move to promote Asian movies to the world, new awards dedicated to Asian cinema will debut at this year's Berlin International Film Festival. It's the first time a leading international film festival has set up an exclusive award section for Asian movies.

The festival known as the Berlinale will honor Asia's best director, screenwriter and producer with the winners announced on Feb 12.

The Asian Brilliant Stars (ABS) is a joint initiative of Asian Film & Television Promotion (AFTP) and the Berlinale to highlight Asian movies and demonstrate the profound cultural heritage and social values of Asia.

"The ABS will only have three winning titles this year but it will gradually cover more awards in all areas in the future as more movies from countries including South Korea, Japan and Thailand submit entries," said Shen Dongjun, secretary-general of the AFTP.

"With the growing influence of the ABS, it will contribute to the integration of Asian films to the rest of the world and also help promote the development of the Eurasian film market."