Berlinale Opening 2011: Cowboy Boots to Kick Off Race for Bears

Minister of State for Culture Bernd Neumann, Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit, Jury President Isabella Rossellini and Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick will open the 61st Berlin International Festival on February 10 at 7.30 pm. During the opening gala, which will be hosted by Anke Engelke, the International Jury will be introduced. Music will be provided by the Beatsteaks. 3sat will broadcast the event live.

This will be followed by the international premiere of Joel and Ethan Coen's Western True Grit, which has been nominated for 10 Oscars®. The directors and leading actors Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Brolin will present the film to the audience in Berlin.

Other celebrities expected to attend the event include:

Maren Ade, Mario Adorf, Fatih Akin, Alexander Askoldov, Marie Bäumer, Wolfgang Becker, Iris Berben, Senta Berger, Alexander Beyer, Sebastian Blomberg, Hans-Christoph Blumenberg, Jürgen Böttcher, Fred Breinersdorfer, Bettina Brokemper, Maximilian Brückner, Thomas Brussig, Christopher Buchholz, Inga Busch, Christel Buschmann, Costa Gavras, Didi Danquart, Pepe Danquart, August Diehl, Doris Dörrie, Andreas Dresen, Max Färberböck, Alexander Fehling, Veronica Ferres, Benno Fürmann, Florian Gallenberger, Assaf Gavron, Martina Gedeck, Hans W. Geißendörfer, Vadim Glowna, Nan Goldin, Wolf Gremm, Philip Gröning, Michael Gwisdek, Fritzi Haberlandt, Monika Hansen, André M. Hennicke, Irm Hermann, Hannah Herzsprung, Hendrik Handloegten, Reinhard Hauff, Dominique Horwitz, Sandra Hüller, Julia Hummer, Hermine Huntgeburth, Hannes Jaenicke, Barbara Junge, Winfried Junge, Paula Kalenberg, Romuald Karmakar, Sibel Kekilli, Peter Keglevic, Burghart Klaußner, Michael Klier, Herbert Knaup, Sebastian Koch, Volker Koepp, Imogen Kogge, Wolfgang Kohlhaase, Juliane Köhler, Chris Kraus, Nicolette Krebitz, Thomas Kretschmann, Marco Kreuzpaintner, David Kross, Renate Krößner, Maren Kroymann, Gudrun Landgrebe, Bernd Lange, Lia van Leer, Dani Levy, Jan Josef Liefers, Peter Lohmeyer, Anna Loos-Liefers, Matthias Luthardt, Angelina Maccarone, Kevin Macdonald, Heike Makatsch, Nicole Marischka, Marie-Luise Marjan, Misel Maticevic, Jeanine Meerapfel, Elfi Mikesch, Helke Misselwitz, Ursela Monn, Wanja Mues, Anna Maria Mühe, Sandra Nettelbeck, Ulrich Noethen, Michèle Ohayon, José Padilha, Christiane Paul, Zoltan Paul, Franziska Petri, Nina Petri, Christian Petzold, Axel Prahl, Jürgen Prochnow, Katja Riemann, Gian-Piero Ringel, Oskar Roehler, Udo Samel, Helke Sander, Helma Sanders-Brahms, Otto Sander, Katrin Sass, Peter Schamoni, Clemens Schick, Niklaus Schilling, Tom Schilling, Mark Schlichter, Hans-Christian Schmid, Renen Schorr, Rolf Schübel, Jessica Schwarz, Peter Sehr, Maria Simon, Miriam Stein, Loretta Stern, Ula Stöckl, Philip Stölzl, Lena Stolze, Barbara Sukowa, Jasmin Tabatabai, Lee Tamahori, Mina Tander, Anatole Taubman, Anna Thalbach, Thomas Thieme, Rudolf Thome, Peter Timm, Jördis Triebel, Cyril Tuschi, Tom Tykwer, Idil Üner, Andres Veiel, Joseph Vilsmaier, Justus von Dohnányi, Vera von Lehndorff, Rosa von Praunheim, Margarethe von Trotta, Hans Weingartner, Wim Wenders, Gustav-Peter Wöhler, Johanna Wokalek, Sönke Wortmann, Natalia Wörner, August Zirner, Hanns Zischler.

A number of prominent German politicians have also announced they will attend. They include President of the Berlin House of Representatives Walter Momper, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dirk Niebel, Green Party Chair Claudia Roth, SPD Parliamentary Leader Frank-Walter Steinmeier as well as members of the Committee for Culture and Media, and its chairman, Monika Grütters. A number of ambassadors and festival directors - including Thierry Frémaux (Cannes) and Marco Müller (Venice) - are also expected.

The 61st Berlin International Film Festival will close on February 20. The awards ceremony will be held on February 19, 2011.