Berlin Film Fest leaves empty chair for Panahi

Though the kick-off film is True Grit by the Coen brothers, the Berlin International Film Festival diverted some of its opening-day spotlight to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.

Panahi is an official member of the 2011 Berlinale jury, but Iran has barred him from leaving his homeland, preventinghis attendance at the festival, which opened Thursday.

"We are still hoping that he will be able to come. We haven't given up," said Italian-American actress Isabella Rossellini, this year's jury president, at Thursday's opening news conference.

"He is a very big presence even though he is not here," she said. Rossellini said the festival wanted toinclude Panahi in absentia as a reminder that "freedom of speech is at the base of freedom of art and filmmaking."

Jury members Rossellini, Jan Chapman, Aamir Khan, Nina Hoss, Sandy Powell and Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin left a seat empty for Panahi, whose acclaimed films include Offside, The Circle and Crimson Gold.

True Grit, from U.S. directors Joel and Ethan Coen, brought some Hollywood glamour to the festival, with stars Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Brolin joining them in Berlin. Though the western remake is the opening night selection, it screens out of competition after having been released theatrically in North America.

Altogether, 16 films will vie for Berlin's top prize, the Golden Bear. Contendersinclude British actor Ralph Fiennes' directorial debut Coriolanus, the financial thriller Margin Call from J.C. Chandor and Tales of the Night, French filmmaker Michel Ocelot's silhouette animation 3D film.

3D technology will also be highlighted through screenings of Werner Herzog's documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams and Pima, a 3D dance film honouring late choreographer Pina Bausch, createdby her longtime friend Wim Wenders.

Canadians in Berlin

Along with serving on the official jury, Maddin will see his installations Hauntings I and Hauntings II displayed in Berlin. Works by a number of other Canadians filmmakers will be showcased in different festival programs:

• Shorts: Green Crayons (director Kazik Radwanski); Women Waiting (director Antoine Bourges).
• Panorama: Vampire (director Iwai Shunji).
• Forum: Familiar Grounds (director Stphane Lafleur).
• Forum (Short): National Parks Project: Sirmilik (director Zacharias Kunuk).
• Forum (Installation): A Bar IST a Garden IST a Caf IST a Reading Room (director Kika Thorne).
• Generation Kplus: Mabul (director Guy Nattiv).
• Generation Kplus (Short): Mokhtar (director Halima Ouardiri); Sunday (director Patrick Doyon); The Legend of Beaver Dam (director Jerome Sable); Wapawekka (director Danis Goulet).

The 61stBerlin International Film Festival continues through Feb. 20.