World premieres include A Long Way down, starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and Pierce Brosnan, and The Two Faces of January, the directorial debut of Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini starring Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac.

The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has unveiled the 18-strong line-up for its Berlinale Special strand, including nine world premieres.

Stand-outs in the list include the world premiere of A Long Way Down, an adaptation of Nick Hornby’s bestseller about four people who meet on New Year’s Eve and form a surrogate family to help one another weather the difficulties of their lives. It stars Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette and Imogen Poots.

Also receiving its world premiere will be con artist thriller The Two Faces of January, the directorial debut of Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Inside Llewyn Davis’ Oscar Isaac.

Mexican actor Diego Luna follows up his directorial debut Abel with Casar Chavez, a biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer starring Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson and John Malkovich. It will receive its world premiere in Berlin.

The line-up also includes the German premiere of Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee American Hustle, directed by David O. Russell.

Gala Screenings will be held at the Friedrichstadt-Palast and, for the first time, at the Zoo Palast. Presentations at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele will again include moderated discussions with the filmmakers after the screenings.

Berlinale Special Galas at the Friedrichstadt-Palast

WP = World Premiere / IP = International Premiere / GP = German Premiere / FP = Festival Premiere

A Long Way Down (UK-Germany) WP
dir. Pascal Chaumeil
With Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots

American Hustle (US) GP
dir. David O. Russell
With Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence

Cesar Chavez (US) WP
dir. Diego Luna
With Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich 

Dans la cour (In the Courtyard) (France) WP
dir. Pierre Salvadori
With Catherine Deneuve, Gustave Kervern

Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann (The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared) (Sweden) GP
dir. Felix Herngren
With Robert Gustafsson, Iwar Wiklander, Mia Skäringer, Alan Ford, David Wiberg

The Turning (Australia) IP
dirs. 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

Berlinale Special Galas at the Zoo Palast

Das finstere Tal (The Dark Valley) (Aus-Ger) WP
dir. Andreas Prochaska
With Sam Riley, Tobias Moretti, Paula Beer, Thomas Schubert, Carmen Gratl

Diplomatie (Diplomacy) (France-Germany) WP
dir. Volker Schlöndorff
With André Dussollier, Niels Arestrup, Robert Stadlober, Burghart Klaussner

The Two Faces of January (UK-US-France) WP
dir. Hossein Amini
With Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac

Berlinale Special at the Kino International

En du elsker (Someone You Love) (Denmark) WP
dir. Pernille Fischer Christensen
With Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Sofus Rønnov, Eve Best

Berlinale Special at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele

Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq (US) IP
dir. Nancy Buirski
Documentary

Baal (1969) (Germany) FP
dir. Volker Schlöndorff
With Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Sigi Graue, Margarethe von Trotta

Kathedralen der Kultur (Ger-Den-Aus-Nor-Fra) WP
dir. Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, Margreth Olin, Karim Aïnouz
3D project

Night Will Fall (UK) WP
dir. André Singer (Forbidden Rites, World in Action)
Documentary (work in progress)

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (US) EP
dir. Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller
Documentary

The Unknown Known (US) GP
dir. Errol Morris
Documentary

Watermark (Canada) EP
dirs. Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky
Documentary

We Come As Friends (France-Austria) EP
dir. Hubert Sauper (Darwin‘s Nightmare)
Documentary

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