George Clooney's The Monuments Men.

The Berlin International Film Festival named the first seven films in its Competition lineup including previously announced Opening Night feature The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson and George Clooney's The Monuments Men. Additionally, festival organizers unveiled several films that will screen in its Berlinale Special section including The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden, which will feature the voices of NYFF51 gala tribute subject Cate Blanchett as well as Diane Kruger. The documentary interweaves an unsolved 1930s murder mystery with stories of present day Galapagos pioneers in a parable about the search for paradise.

U.K. competition film '71 (World Premiere) stars Jack O'Connell in a war drama about a young and disoriented British soldier who is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot in the deadly streets of Belfast in 1971. And Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa's English-language debut Aloft follows a mother (Jennifer Connelly) and her son (Cillian Murphy) who delve into a past marred by an accident that tears them apart. It is also making its World Premiere.

More films screening in and out of competition at the festival, taking place February 6 – 16, will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Competition
 
‘71, (United Kingdom)
By Yann Demange (Top Boy – TV series)
With Jack O’Connell, Sean Harris, Richard Dormer
World premiere
 
Aimer, boire et chanter (Life of Riley) – France
By Alain Resnais (Smoking/No smoking, On connaĂźt la chanson)
With Sabine Azéma, Sandrine Kiberlain, Caroline Silhol, André Dussolier, Hippolyte Giradot, Michel Vuillermoz
World premiere
 
Aloft (Spain / Canada / France)
By Claudia Llosa (The Milk of Sorrow)
With Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, MĂ©lanie Laurent
World premiere
 
Die geliebten Schwestern (Germany)
By Dominik Graf (In Face of the Crime, Lawinen der Erinnerung)
With Hannah Herzsprung, Florian Stetter, Henriette Confurius
World premiere
 
Stratos (Greece / Germany / Cyprus)
By Yannis Economides (Matchbox, Soul Kicking)
With Vangelis Mourikis, Vicky Papadopoulou, Petros Zervos
World premiere
 
The Grand Budapest Hotel (United Kingdom / Germany)
By Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou)
With Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody
World premiere – Opening film
 
The Monuments Men (Germany / USA)
By George Clooney (The Ides of March; Good Night, and Good Luck.)
With George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, Cate Blanchett
International premiere – Out of competition
 
 
Berlinale Special
 
A Long Way Down (United Kingdom)
By Pascal Chaumeil (HeartBreaker)
With Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots
World premiere
 
Entente Cordiale (We Come As Friends) – documentary (France / Austria)
By Hubert Sauper (Darwin‘s Nightmare)
European premiere
 
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden – documentary (USA)
By Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller (Ballets Russes)
With the voices of Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, Thomas Kretschmann, Sebastian Koch, Josh Radnor, Gustaf SkarsgÄrd, Connie Nielsen
European premiere
 
The Turning – anthology film (Australia)
By Marieka Walsh, Warwick Thornton,  Jub Clerc, Robert Connolly, Anthony Lucas, Rhys Graham, Ashlee Page, Tony Ayres, Claire McCarthy, Stephen Page, Shaun Gladwell, Mia Wasikowska, Simon Stone, David Wenham, Jonathan auf der Heide, Justin Kurzel, Yaron Lifschitz, Ian Meadows
With Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Miranda Otto, Richard Roxburgh, Hugo Weaving
International premiere