Highlights of the 66th Berlinale

A high-quality film festival requires a strong team of organizers. Dieter Kosslick, who's been directing the Berlinale since 2001, enjoys creating a good atmosphere, all while programming films exploring difficult issues. The 66th Berlinale, held from February 11 - 21, has a strong focus on refugees.

"The right to happiness" is the festival's motto this year. Dieter Kosslick's interpretation of this theme includes the "right to work, love and find a place to call home" - referring to the fate of refugees. Among the competing films is "Fire at Sea," a documentary about those stranded on the Italian island of Lampedusa, the landing point for many people trying to reach Europe from Africa.

Another interpretation of this search for happiness is offered by the competition film "Things to Come," by Mia Hansen-Love. A philosophy teacher (French actress Isabelle Huppert, pictured above) suddenly needs to reinvent her life after her husband decides to leave her for another woman.

To keep the public happy, a film festival also needs big stars. Joel and Ethan Coen fulfill this requirement by opening the festival with "Hail, Caesar!," which brings together Scarlett Johansson, George Clooney, as well as Josh Brolin and Tilda Swinton (both pictured above) in a comedy poking fun at Hollywood's golden age.

One of the films among the contestants for the Golden Bear was made in Germany. Anne Zohra Berrached's film "24 Weeks" tells the story of a successful entertainer who finds out that she's pregnant with a handicapped child and considers abortion. Julia Jetsch and Bjarne Mädel star in this movie exploring how people deal with blows of fate.

The acclaimed director's latest work is eagerly awaited at the festival. Spike Lee, who's boycotting the 2016 Oscars because of its lack of nominee diversity, will be showing "Chi-Raq" in Berlin, as an out-of-competition title. It's a satire on the hip hop scene in Chicago and gun violence in America.

The Berlin film festival has always explored films beyond Europe and Hollywood and has showcased many films from Iran throughout the years. This year's contribution from that country, the film "A Dragon Arrives!" by Mani Haghighi, is set in the 1960s.

This actress has already rejoiced fans many times during the Berlinale, for example here on the red carpet in 2012. This year Meryl Streep will be heading the seven-member jury who'll decide on the winners of the Golden and Silver Bears.

Showcasing "Avant-garde, experimental works, essays, long-term observations, political reportage and yet-to-be-discovered cinematic landscapes," the section of the festival called Forum is described as the one offering the "most daring" program. Among the films lined up this year is a documentary from Taiwan and Myanmar called "City of Jade," by director Midi Z.

Along with the official competition and Forum, a section called Panorama offers a wide range of international art-house and independent movies combining thought-provoking stories and entertainment. Among the films shown in this section this year is "I, Olga Hepnarova," based on the true story of an unconventional woman who turned into a mass murderer in Czechoslovakia in the 70s.

The Berlinale is also famous for its thorough film retrospectives. This year, a selection guided by the theme "Germany 1966 - Redefining Cinema" shows how both East and West Germany's films explored a new age of rebellion. Among the featured films of the retrospective is the acting debut of German actor Bruno Ganz, in "The Easy Way Out" by Haro Senft, who recently passed away, on February 4.

Another tradition of the film festival is the re-issue of a silent film classic shown in a digitally restored version, accompanied by a large orchestra in a festive atmosphere. This year, Fritz Lang's "Destiny" from 1921 obtains the honors, with new music specially composed for the film.

The Berlin International Film Festival has always served as a good platform to launch and promote new films. Just before its release in German theaters on February 25, Michael Moore's latest documentary "Where to Invade Next" will also be featured at the Berlinale. The Oscar-winning filmmaker tackles American social problems through an exploration of Europe.

Another highly anticipated movie is the latest adaptation of Anne Frank's journal. "The Diary of Anne Frank" will celebrate its world premiere at the Berlinale before its release at the beginning of March. The film was directed by Hans Steinbichler and stars Martina Gedeck and Ulrich Noethen. Anne Frank is portrayed by the young actress Lea van Acken (picture).

There's just one Germany-only produced film and a few German co-productions in the competition, but the festival as a whole will once again be strongly promoting the country's cinema. There are 151 films produced or co-produced by Germany in the program, for instance in the section Perspektive Deutsches Kino, where "Agony" (pictured), a feature debut by David Clay Diaz, will also be shown.