Stars from around the world are set to attend the gala opening of the 54th Berlin International Film Festival.

The opening night gala ceremony in the Berlianle Palast begins today at 7.00pm on Thursday, 5 February. The evening will be hosted by Anke Engelke and Festival Director Dieter Kosslick. The Berlin International Film Festival will be opened by Minister of State for Culture Dr Christina Weiss and the Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit. The opening night film, Anthony Minghella’s American Civil War epic Cold Mountain, will be screened following the introduction of the International Jury, chaired by Oscar winner Frances McDormand.

Berlinale red carpet arrivals at the Berlinale Palast will begin at 6.30 pm. The glittering opening night will be attended by the director of Cold Mountain Anthony Minghella, actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Brendan Gleeson.

Other prominent guests to attend the gala ceremony include: Eleanor Bergstein, Daniel Brühl, Frank Giering, Michael Winterbottom (Golden Bear 2003), Paul Greengrass (Golden Bear 2002), Tom Tykwer, Peter Schamoni, Thomas Heinze, Thomas Kretschmann, Joan Allen, Barbara Auer, Marie Bäumer, Moritz Bleibtreu, Suzanne von Borsody, Detlev Buck, Bryan Cox, Stephen Daldry, Patrick Crowley, Helmut Dietl, Doris Dörrie, Angelika Domröse, Christopher Doyle, Andrew Eaton, Max Färberböck, Heino Ferch, Martina Gedeck, Winfried Glatzeder, Vadim Glowna, Michael Gwisdeck, Monika Hansen, Corinna Harfouch, Leander Haussmann, Dominique Horwitz, Michael Klier, Juliane Köhler, Dani Levi, Caroline Link, Peter Lohmeyer, Heike Makatsch, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Jana Pallaske, Christiane Paul, Franziska Petri, Christian Petzold, Rosa von Praunheim, Katja Riemann, Oskar Roehler, Barbara Rudnik, Katrin Saß, Jan Schütte, Jessica Schwarz, Julia Stiles, Jasmin Tabatabai, Anna Thalbach, Rudolf Thome, Nadja Uhl, Jürgen Vogel, Michelle Williams, Natalia Wörner, Sönke Wortmann and Claudia Schiffer.



Other guests attending the first week of the Festival include: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Peter Fonda, Amanda Peet, Hans Zimmer, Sandrine Bonnaire, Pernilla August, Patrice Leconte, John Boorman, Juliette Binoche, Cate Blanchett, Menzi Ngubane, Tim Roth, Charlize Theron and Ron Howard.

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