Writer-director Thomas Sieben's feature debut Distance (Distanz) will open the Berlinale's Perspektive Deutsches Kino - the sidebar dedicated to German films on February 6.

Sieben describes the film as 'An existential story of violence and love which simultaneously disturbs and touches through its unconditional nature.'

Distance was produced by Berlin-based GrandHotelPictures with the private film investment company Vinzent Filmbeteiligungsgesellschaft.

The drama stars Ken Duken, also one of the film's producers, with Norbert Kneissl and Franziska Weisz (Hotel).

The other five titles confirmed so far for this section are:

Martin Büsker's Roller Coaster and Michael Koch's drama Polar; the documentaries Gitti by Anna Deutsch and Generation Undecided by Elmar Szücs, and the 25-minute feature In The Blink Of An Eye by Abel Lindner.

Commenting on the line-up so far, Perspektive Deutsches Kino's section head Alfred Holighaus noted that 'after last year, when important social themes were explored with courage and originality in exemplary stories, the newest German films are this time going in the opposite direction. Apparently private stories and issues are now garnering public attention in various cinematic forms.'

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