Jan 16, 2008, 13:58 GMT
Berlin - Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light will open the Berlin film festival on February 7, organizers confirmed on Wednesday.
Ron Wood (L) and Keith Richards (R) of British rock band The Rolling Stones perform on stage, 05 June 2007, in Werchter, Belgium. EPA/BENOIT DOPPAGNE
The director and members of the band will be in attendance for the screening, which also marks the world premier of the film.
'Martin Scorsese has captured the pure essence of an iconic band on the big screen,' said festival director Dieter Kosslick.
The bulk of Shine a Light was shot in two concerts at the Beacon Theatre, New York in October and November 2006.
Using 16 cameras, more than half a million feet of concert footage were shot. Shine A Light also features rarely-seen archival footage and current behind the scenes footage and interviews.
'With this extensive camera coverage and the intimacy of the setting, Scorsese has created an extraordinary musical film event and given audiences unprecedented access to the Rolling Stones both on stage and off,' the Berlinale organizers said.
It is the first time that a documentary has been chosen to open the festival, which runs until February 17 when the coveted Golden Bear awards are made.
Films from China, Brazil, Mexico, Britain, the United States, Poland and the host nation will be shown in Berlin, one of the world's top three movie festivals.
Other stars that might put in appearance in Berlin are Madonna, Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, Dennis Hopper and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Madonna's debut movie as a director will have its world premiere at the annual event. Filth and Wisdom, starring Eugene Hutz, Richard E Grant and Stephen Graham, will screen in the Panorama section, outside the main competition.
Included in the line-up for the main competition are works by US director Thomas Anderson, veteran Polish director Andrezej Wajda and Wang Xiaoshuai of China.
Wadja's Katyn, which delves into the massacre of thousands of Poles by the Russian secret service in 1940, will have its international premier in Berlin.
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