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Scorsese, Polanski's movies to debut in Berlin
December-17-2009

Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" and Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" will debut at Berlin International Film Festival in February, film festival organization committee announced Wednesday.

"Shutter Island," a horror-thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will premiere in the competition ahead of its February 19 release in North America.

"The Ghost Writer" is based on the novel "The Ghost" by British writer Robert Harris. British actor Ewan McGregor starring as a writer who is employed to pen the autobiography of a former British prime minister modeled on Tony Blair who then uncovers dark secrets.

Organizers unveiled the first festival titles Tuesday and alongside the big names, there are several international arthouse veterans.

Others vying for the coveted Golden Bear award include "Na Putu" ("On the Path") by Bosnian director Jasmila Zbanic, whose harrowing rape drama "Grbavica" took the Golden Bear in 2006, and "Bal" ("Honey") by Turkey's Semih Kaplanoglu.

Iran's Rafi Pitts ("It's Winter") will head to Berlin with his new drama "The Hunter" and Bollywood extravaganza "My Name is Khan," from Karan Johar and starring Shah Rukh Khan, will get a gala, out of competition slot.

A total of 26 films in all will compete in the 2010 Berlin Festival, which runs from Feb. 11-21. Further titles will be announced in January.

So far, there's no news shows that Polanski will be on the red carpet.