The star-studded 60th Berlin International Film Festival kicks off today, uniting hot Hollywood fare with fresh Asian releases.

The anniversary edition of the Berlinale, the first major European cinema showcase of the year, will celebrate a tradition of crossing frontiers with more than 400 films in the line-up, according to organizers.

Chinese director Wang Quan'an will have his "Apart Together" screened today, a world premiere that will begin the 10-day competition for the Golden Bear top prize.

Top Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou's controversial film "A Simple Noodle Story" will also join the competition. Featuring Sun Honglei, Xiao Shenyang and Yan Ni, Zhang's movie tells the story of Wang, a noodle shop owner whose wife wants her lover to kill her husband.

The main program will feature releases from 18 countries including new pictures from Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski, who is currently under house arrest in Switzerland awaiting possible extradition to the US on charges of unlawful sex with a then 13-year-old girl in a three-decades-old case.

Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" stars Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan, who are expected in Berlin alongside Leonardo DiCaprio with Scorsese's new thriller "Shutter Island" and Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan appearing in "My Name is Khan."

Also awaited on the red carpet are Gerard Depardieu for "Mammuth," Isabelle Adjani and James Franco for "Howl" and Ben Stiller for indie flick "Greenberg."