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A poster of the movie "Forever Enthralled" directed by Chen Kaige [File Photo]
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Chinese director Chen Kaige, who won the Palme d'Or in Cannes for "Farewell My Concubine", will present "Forever Enthralled" starring Leon Lai as opera legend Mei Lanfang at the 59th Berlin Film Festival.
Hollywood heavyweights Kate Winslet, Steve Martin, Jude Law and Clive Owen will also headline the film festival with a clutch of new pictures, organizers said.
Winslet is expected at February's Berlinale to promote "The Reader," an erotic drama in which she plays a former Nazi concentration camp guard running from her past in postwar Germany.
The film, an adaptation of German writer Bernhard Schlink's best seller, has already been nominated for next month's Golden Globe awards but will be screened out of competition for the Berlinale's Golden and Silver Bear prizes.
Martin will bring the second Pink Panther remake featuring the silver-haired comedian as the hapless Inspector Clouseau. "Pink Panther II" will also appear out of competition.
"Rage," a black comedy about a New York fashion house by British director Sally Potter ("Orlando"), will vie for the Golden Bear with a powerhouse cast including Law, Judi Dench, Dianne Wiest and Steve Buscemi.
Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodysson, best known for his harrowing drama about forced prostitution "Lilya 4-ever," will unveil "Mammoth" starring Mexican heartthrob Gael Garcia Bernal and U.S. actress Michelle Williams as a New York power couple facing a family crisis.
Rebecca Miller, daughter of the late U.S. playwright Arthur Miller and wife of Daniel Day-Lewis, will premiere "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" based on her debut novel. The cast features Robin Wright Penn, Keanu Reeves and Julianne Moore.
The Berlinale will open Feb. 5 with the premiere of "The International," a spy thriller starring Owen and Naomi Watts, directed by German filmmaker Tom Tykwer ("Run, Lola, Run").
The festival, running to Feb. 15, ranks below Cannes and alongside Venice among the world's top film festivals.
