The Berlin Film Festival rolls out the red carpet next month, showcasing films from around the world, with the impact on people of fast-paced globalization having emerged as a major theme of this year's Berlinale.

Now in its 59th year, the Berlinale is one of the top three international film festivals, each February drawing some of the world's leading stars to Berlin.

The festival offers a touch of glamour to the German capital during the bleak winter months with top screenliners such as Tommy Lee Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Haim Abbass, Judi Dench, Woody Harrelson, Gael Garcia Bernal and Demi Moore on this year's Berlinale invitation list.

A total of 26 films have been selected for the Berlinale's main competition including movies from Iran, China, Europe and the United States.

This also includes films from leading directors such as Constantin Costa-Gavras, Stephen Frears, Andrzej Wajda, Bertrand Tavernier and Chen Kaige.

Unusual among major international film festivals, the Berlinale opens its doors to the general public. This, combined with the sheer volume of movies screened, means that the Berlinale has the biggest audience of any film festival in the world.

However, this year's festival is also being held against the backdrop of the global economic crisis.

Consequently, with the Berlinale the first big international film festival of the year, Berlin also represents a key test of the current state of the movie business.