With the world premiere of the star-studded action thriller The International by Tom Tykwer, the 59th Berlin International Film Festival will open tomorrow, February 5, 2009 in the presence of the director and the actors Clive Owen, Ulrich Thomsen and Armin Mueller-Stahl.

Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick will open the Festival together with Minister of State and Commissioner for Cultural and Media Affairs Bernd Neumann and Jury President Tilda Swinton. The event will be broadcast live on television by ZDF/3sat. Television presenter Katrin Bauerfeind will host the evening.

Other celebrities expected to attend the event include:

Alexander Askoldov, Natalia Avelon, Michael Ballhaus, Marie Bäumer, Meret Becker, Wolfgang Becker, Bibiana Beglau, Iris Berben, Senta Berger, Hark Bohm, Matthias Brandt, Maximilian Brückner, Daniel Brühl, Thomas Brussig, Lars Büchel, Detlev Buck, Inga Busch, Pepe Danquart, Helmut Dietl, Doris Dörrie, Andreas Dresen, Uli Edel, Hannelore Elsner, Max Färberböck, Benno Fürmann, Florian Gallenberger, Bruno Ganz, Matthias Glasner, Vadim Glowna, Valeska Grisebach, Herbert Grönemeyer, Michael Gwisdek, Fritzi Haberlandt, Cosma Shiva Hagen, Nina Hagen, Corinna Harfouch, Thomas Heinze, Karoline Herfurth, Hannah Herzsprung, Dominique Horwitz, Nina Hoss, Henry Hübchen, Sandra Hüller, Hermine Huntgeburth, Hannes Jaenicke, Romuald Karmakar, Sibel Kekilli, Alexander Kluge, Herbert Knaup, Nicolette Krebitz, Thomas Kretschmann, Marco Kreuzpaintner, Joachim Król, David Kross, Maren Kroymann, Günter Lamprecht, Gudrun Landgrebe, Jan Josef Liefers, Caroline Link, Peter Lohmeyer, Anna Loos-Liefers, Susanne Lothar, Florian Lukas, Matthias Luthardt, Heike Makatsch, Misel Matiecevic, Ulrich Matthes, Claudia Michelsen, Birgit Minichmayr, Anna Maria Mühe, Richy Müller, Sandra Nettelbeck, Ulrich Noethen, Jana Pallaske, Christiane Paul, Nina Petri Christian Petzold, Franka Potente, Axel Prahl, Rosa von Praunheim, Jürgen Prochnow, Oskar Roehler, Armin Rohde, Otto Sander, Helma Sanders-Brahms, Tom Schilling, Volker Schlöndorff, Hans-Christian Schmid, Hinnerk Schönemann, Uwe Schrader, Jan Schütte, Til Schweiger, Esther Schweins, Robert Stadlober, Stefanie Stappenbeck, Lena Stolze, Jasmin Tabatabai, Anatole Taubman, Hilmar Thate, Thomas Thieme, Peter Timm, Jördis Triebel, Nora Tschirner, Christian Ulmen, Idil Üner, Andres Veiel, Joseph Vilsmaier, Jürgen Vogel, Katharina Wackernagel, Hans Weingartner, Wim Wenders, Natalia Wörner, Bettina Zimmermann, August Zirner und Hanns Zischler.

A number of prominent German politicians have also announced they will attend. This includes Federal Minister of Justice Brigitte Zypries, President of the Berlin House of Representatives Walter Momper, the former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Richard von Weizsäcker and the former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer.