The American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, who directed the 2014 blockbuster "Noah," "Black Swan" and "The Wrestler," among others, will preside over the jury. He will be accompanied by French actress Audrey Tautou (who rose to fame with her eccentric character in the global hit, "Amélie") and German actor Daniel Brühl (who played the lead role in "Good Bye, Lenin!"), as well as Matthew Weiner, the creator, executive producer and screenwriter of the hit US series "Mad Men."

Other jurors include Martha De Laurentiis ("Hannibal") and South Korean director Bong Joon-ho ("Snowpiercer"). The Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa, who won the Golden Bear in 2009 with her film "The Milk of Sorrow," is also on board.

Festival director Dieter Kosslick pointed out during a press conference that this year's selection includes many films depicting "strong women in extreme situations."

Opening the festival is a film by Spanish director Isabel Coixet - "Nobody Wants the Night" - featuring French actress Juliette Binoche. It tells the story of Josephine Peary, who trekked across the tundra in Greenland in 1908 to rescue her missing husband.

Werner Herzog's "Queen of the Desert" also highlights a forceful woman's biography, with Nicole Kidman portraying British explorer and spy Gertrude Bell. Another awaited premiere is Terrence Malick's latest feature, called "Knight of Cups," and dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi's "Taxi."

Altogether, 19 films are competing for the Golden Bear this year and 441 movies from 72 countries will be shown within 10 days. The Berlin International Film Festival, known as the Berlinale, will take place from February 5 to 15 in the German capital.

eg/kbm (dpa, AFP)