Roberts, Johansson films added to Berlin lineup
BERLIN (Reuters) - Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman were added to a star-filled Berlin Film Festival lineup on Friday that already includes the Rolling Stones, Martin Scorsese and Madonna.
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)
