Dec 20, 2005 — BERLIN (Reuters) - The Berlin Film Festival announced on Tuesday the first seven films in the running for its Golden and Silver Bears awards in February along with two U.S. films that will be screened out of competition.

"Syriana," a political thriller starring George Clooney, and "The New World" with Colin Farrell about a 17th century English explorer, are the two U.S. films featured in the 26-film main program for the 56th annual Berlinale that runs February 9-19.

Both "Syriana" and "The New World" were already released in the U.S. but have been included in the festival that hopes to attract the celebrity actors of those and other films.

Six of the nine films selected so far will have their world premieres in Berlin. The rest of the program will be announced by mid-January, according to festival director Dieter Kosslick.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to present new films by famous directors as well as productions by young filmmakers," he said in a statement.

The Berlinale is the first of Europe's three major festivals in the new year and considered after Cannes and alongside Venice to be one of the world's most prestigious film showcases.

Making the Berlin festival unique are the 400,000 tickets sold to about 1,000 screenings of films in the competition and various sidebar events to ordinary cinema-goers, many of whom spend hours in long queues for tickets.

Two German directors will be competing for honors with world premieres. Oskar Roehler will present his adaptation of Michel Houellebecq's successful novel "The Elementary Particles" about two brothers set out to uncover the meaning of life.

Another German film, "Requiem" by Hans-Christian Schmid, is about exorcism in the West Germany in the 1970s.

Australia is represented with Neil Armfield's "Candy" about a young couple who become involved in drugs while a British-Canadian co-production "Snow Cake" is about a difficult love story that stars Sigourney Weaver.

Two films from Asia are in the program: a psychological thriller "Invisible Waves" by Thai director Ratanaruang Pen-ek portrays a contract killer; Chen Kaige's "Wu ji" ("The Promise") is a love story of a princess between three men and at $35 million is called the most expensive Chinese film ever made.

Last year "U-Carmen eKhayelitsha," a film that transports Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" to a South African township, became the first African film to win Berlin's coveted Golden Bear for best film.

German actress Julia Jentsch won the Silver Bear for best actress for her portrayal of Sophie Scholl, a real-life heroine of the German resistance during World War Two who was executed by the Nazis.

but have been included in the festival that hopes to attract the celebrity actors of those and other films.

Yes, yes, yes!!!!!!!!!!
Berlin - I can go! Just an hour by train. (And university semester will be finished - last exam on february 6.)
Takaya, we could go together (if you like)- I will probably have no one to come with me for that film.

Ulli

I didn't even know there is such a thing like a "Filmstills competition". (there are competitions for everything, I guess)
But it's nice to see that they thought of "Syriana" and Sid.

10.02. 19:30 Berlinale Palast (D)
11.02. 12:00 Urania (D)
11.02. 18:30 Urania (D)
12.02. 20:00 International (D)

The ticket prices are...*gulp*.

My German is rusty, but that looks like 2 VIP tickets to the Syriana premiere at the film festival on February 10. Yes? That could be fun!

And if he won't come... I will know for myself that I didn't stay at home while he was there.

Berlin's wet kiss
Early fest buzz boosts Teutonic pix
By ELIZABETH GUIDER, ED MEZA

The 56th Berlin Film Festival kicks off today with the gala screening of the U.K.-Canadian co-prod "Snow Cake" -- a rather lowkey opening salvo but one whose title at least is in keeping with the wintry weather now dominating the city. Stars Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver are expected to grace the red carpet tonight.
Fest topper Dieter Kosslick, now in his fifth year as head of the Berlinale, will do the honors as he meets and greets local dignitaries at the Berlinale Palast as well as the first wave of film aficionados and foreign film execs to hit town for the 11-day extravaganza.

This Berlinale is indeed pumped up, largely because of the expanded European Film Market, which for the first time has taken over the imposing 19th century Martin Gropius Bau. There are some 250 exhibitors, up 50% over last year, and a record number of films vying for deals around the world.

EFM topper Beki Probst is betting that the boost will pay off in terms of deals signed and relationships firmed up.

And even before the festival geared up, there was local buzz about the five German entries in Competition, with particularly strong word-of-mouth for Oskar Roehler's "The Elementary Particles."

Indeed, the hottest tickets on the eve of the fest were "Particles" and Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana," which nabbed two Oscar nominations Jan. 31. French auteur Michel Gondry's "The Science of Sleep" and Terrence Malick's "The New World" were also standing room only by Wednesday night.

Other movies, in and out of Competition, are likely to set the Berlinale on its ear.

"Syriana," a critique of the global oil industry starring George Clooney and Matt Damon -- which has not yet opened in Europe -- fits the profile of the quintessential controversial Berlin fave, and may indeed set the tone for the fest as a whole.

The Competition features 26 films from a dozen countries and is in fact loaded with sex and politics as salient themes.

One of the most likely pics to spark debate is Michael Winterbottom's "Road to Guantanamo," which recently moved fest topper Kosslick to say he'd like nothing better than to see the 430-odd prisoners from that American detention camp in Cuba here on the red carpet.

Among the American pics up for the Golden Bear are Robert Altman's "Prairie Home Companion," the director's take on the long-running radio format created by Garrison Keillor, which screens on Monday, and Sidney Lumet's "Find Me Guilty," toplining Vin Diesel as a mob boss. Celebs from both pics are expected to fly in for gladhanding and hobnobbing.

Several other U.S. pics are screening out of competition, including Terrence Malick's "The New World" and "V for Vendetta," which Andy and Larry Wachowski wrote and exec produced. Philip Seymour Hoffman is supposedly on route to tubthumb "Capote" and Natalie Portman is coming to support "V for Vendetta."

Iranian pics are also back in style in Berlin Competition after an almost 20-year absence from the German capital, with two in the mainbar and three in other sections. And from Egypt is that country's biggest budgeted pic ever, "The Yacoubian Building," which broaches homosexuality, a near taboo in Mideast cinema.

And perennially neglected next-door neighbor Austria scored a coup with its first Competition entry in two decades "Slumming," which could propel local helmer Michael Glawogger to wider recognition.

But Eastern European pics, which historically represented an eye on the world behind the Iron Curtain, are nowadays scantily represented; this go-round Italy too is making only a modest showing at the festival.

In short, it's a mostly Western European sensibility that dominates the selection at this edition, with Germany, Scandinavia and France repping the bulk of the titles screened, in both official sections and special showings.

The Panorama section, under the aegis of Wieland Speck, opens today with one of the most off-the-wall works of the entire fest, "Brothers of the Head," a fake-umentary about Siamese twins who double as rock musicians.

For those interested in more straightforward docudrama there's Mary Harron's "The Notorious Bettie Page," about the racy '50s pin-up, which also screens in the Panorama section.

As for the first Talent Campus workshop on Sunday, it's called Eat and Shoot the Indie Way, which will feature Slow Food guru Carlo Petrini talking to filmmakers about slowing down and improving the process.

Finally, rumor has it that Aussie rocker Nick Cave, who once lived in Berlin and got his start here, will be on hand at Potsdamer Platz to promote both the film he scored and scripted ("The Proposition") and the one he appears in ("Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man"). Whether he performs for the crowd is an open question.

Oh that second one is by far my favorite! I can't wait for the untagged version of these!

More from this afternoon's press conference, courtesy of Jan at ka-Bloom.org:

Showing their colors? Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Cultural Minister of State Bernd Neumann wearing the colorful scarves of Berlinale sponsor Hugo Boss.

Please tell me that it is normal to behave like an idiot when you see Sid for the first time. - If not I probably should visit a psychologist.

That reaction is completely normal, Ulli. I think you and both halves of your brain managed quite well given the circumstances. Thanks for sharing your side of the story!