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The Berlinale, the first major European festival of the new
year, rounded out its 26-film main program with the final eight
selections after it earlier picked Scorsese's documentary on
veteran British rock bank the Rolling Stones as its opener. Festival director Dieter Kosslick has packed the "out of
competition" section of the main program with a formidable
collection of Hollywood stars. "Fireflies in the Garden," starring Roberts as well as "The
Other Boleyn Girl" with Portman, Johansson and Eric Bana, will
be making their world premiere in Berlin, considered one of the
world's top festivals. Also added to the competition is French-German
co-production "I've Loved You So Long" starring Kristin Scott
Thomas. The closing film of the festival, which runs from February
7-17, is "Be Kind Rewind" featuring Mia Farrow and Danny
Glover. Organizers have already said that Oscar-winning director
Scorsese and the Rolling Stones will make an appearance. "Shine A Light" draws on footage from two Stones concerts
at the Beacon Theatre in New York in late 2006, which include
guest appearances by Jack White of the White Stripes, Christina
Aguilera, and Buddy Guy. Among other entrants picked earlier is a film based on the
biography of a child soldier during Eritrea's independence
struggle, "Heart of Fire," which tells the story of a girl who
says she was abandoned to a guerrilla group and trained to
kill. Also showcasing will be "Happy-Go-Lucky" by Britain's
Oscar-nominated director Mike Leigh, and "Elegy," a U.S.
production based on a Philip Roth novel and starring Penelope
Cruz and Dennis Hopper. The festival will include the directorial debut of pop star
Madonna, who is expected to attend. Her film "Filth and Wisdom"
is part of the "Panorama" avant garde section. (Reporting by Erik Kirschbaum, editing by Paul Casciato) |
