2008 Berlin film festival preview

Films from as far afield as Iran and Japan go up against this year's strong Oscar contender "There Will Be Blood" at this year's Berlin film festival. Twenty-one films are competing for the main Golden Bear award at "Berlinale." It's the first of the year's major European movie festivals. The festival runs February 7 to 17.

Films from as far afield as Iran and Japan go up against this year's strong  Oscar contender "There Will Be Blood" at this year's Berlin film festival.

Contenders announced Tuesday by festival organizers include "There Will Be Blood," Paul Thomas Anderson's oil-boom epic; Spanish director Isabel Coixet's "Elegy," starring Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley; and Damian Harris's "Gardens Of The Night".

Organisers say they do not expect the Berlin festival to be affected by the Hollywood writers' strike. The strike reduced this year's Golden Globes Ceremony to a news conference. Cruz, Kingsley, John Malkovich, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and others are expected to turn up in Berlin.

The festival begins with the premiere of "Shine A Light." It's a documentary about the Rolling Stones by Martin Scorsese who was last year's big winner at the Oscars.

Singer Madonna's directorial debut, "Filth and Wisdom" - starring Richard E. Grant and Eugene Hutz - will screen  but outside the competition.

The festival's competition traditionally includes films from many countries and the top honours often go to less-heralded productions.

This year's Asian contingent includes Hong Kong director Johnnie To's "Sparrow" and, Wang Xiaoshuai's "In Love We Trust" from the Chinese mainland.

The winner will be chosen by an eight-person international jury led by Constantin Costa-Gavras, the Greek-born director of "Z" and "Missing."