French independent distributor Isabelle Dubar of IDDistribution and Zimbabwe-born festival programme consultant and curator KeithM. Shiri will sit on the four-member international jury which will choose theprojects to be supported by the World Cinema Fund (WCF).

The other jury members are the Berlinale's festival directorDieter Kosslick, who set up the Fund along with Germany's Federal CulturalFoundation, and Alexander Horwath, director of the Austrian Film Museum.

According to sources at the Berlinale, the response to thecall for projects to be submitted by the October 27 deadline was much biggerthan anticipated.

The jury will meet during November to select the projects tobe supported in its term which will come to a close at the end of 2005. The decisionsfor the WCF's first period of funding is expected at the beginning of January2005.

Meanwhile, it is being speculated within German filmindustry circles that the Hollywood-based, German film director RolandEmmerich will be a member of the InternationalJury for the competition of the 55th Berlin International Film Festival nextFebruary.