True Grit to open the 61st Berlinale

After the announcement of the Coen Brothers' True Grit as opening film of the 61^st Berlin International Film Festival, organizers have announced the first films for the competition programme.

We are looking forward to see The Future, a German-American co-production by Miranda July, director of the critically acclaimed Me and You and Everyone We Know.

Another interesting film in the programme is Yelling to the Sky, which stars Gabourey Sibide in her first role after her Oscar-nominated debut in Precious.

Here's an excerpt of the official Festival press realease:

 "The 61st Berlin International Film Festival will open with True Grit by Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen at the Berlinale Palast on February 10, 2011.

This re-interpretation of the Western classic True Grit (with John Wayne) from 1969 tells the story of 14-year-old Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) who sets out to find the man who murdered her father. Since the authorities won’t help her, she hires the tough marshal “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) who, together with her and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), picks up the trail of the killer (Josh Brolin).

True Grit will screen as an international premiere out of competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.

(…)

The first eight titles for the Competition programme of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival have been confirmed. In addition to the opening film True Grit by Joel and Ethan Coen (which is screening out of competition, as announced in the press release on December 7, 2010) another seven productions and co-productions have been selected. They include films from Turkey, the Netherlands, Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the USA.

 So far the following films have been selected:

Bizim Büyük Çaresizliğimiz (Our Grand Despair)

Turkey / Germany / Netherlands

by Seyfi Teoman (Tatil Kitabi/Summer Book)

with İlker Aksum, Fatih Al, Güneş Sayın, Baki Davrak, Taner Birsel, Mehmet Ali Nuroğlu

World premiere

Coriolanus UK/Serbia – debut film

by Ralph Fiennes

with Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, James Nesbitt

World premiere / out of competition

Lipstikka Israel/UK

by Jonathan Sagall (Urban Feel)

with Clara Khoury, Nataly Attiya, Moran Rosenblatt, Ziv Weiner

World premiere

Pina Germany/France - dance film in 3D

by Wim Wenders (The American Friend, Buena Vista Social Club, The Million Dollar Hotel)

with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal

World premiere / out of competition

Wer wenn nicht wir (If not us, who?) Germany

by Andres Veiel (The Survivors, Addicted to Acting)

with August Diehl, Lena Lauzemis, Alexander Fehling

World premiere

Yelling To The Sky USA – debut film

by Victoria Mahoney

with Zoë Kravitz, Gabourey Sidibe, Tim Blake Nelson

World premiere

The Future Germany / USA

by Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know)

with Hamish Linklater, Miranda July, David Warshofsky

International premiere

“In 2011 we’ll once again be cooperating closely with the Sundance Film Festival not only at the European Film Market but also in the Official Programme,” says Festival Director Dieter Kosslick. “To offer independent films an opportunity to be perceived on a grand scale, we are, in the case of US-American director Miranda July, opening up the Competition for an extraordinary German-American co-production that will run out of competition in the Premieres section at Sundance.” ".