Robert De Niro said his fascination with the Cold War led him to direct the CIA saga "The Good Shepherd," which screened Saturday at the annual Berlin film festival.
The film — shut out of all the top Oscar nominations — was among 22 movies competing for the top Golden Bear award in Berlin. "Shepherd" traces the origins of the CIA through the eyes of a fictionalized agent, played by Matt Damon.
De Niro, who made his directorial debut 13 years ago with "A Bronx Tale," said he was attracted to "Shepherd" by the "sweeping scope" of the script by Eric Roth and a fascination with the period itself.