New films by the Taviani brothers, Doris Doerrie, Fernando Perez and Timur Bekmambetov are among nine titles now confirmed for the Berlinale Special section of the festival's official programme.

This year, five world premieres have been selected for this section which presents recent works by contemporary filmmakers whose films the Berlinale wants to honour.

They are: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's The Lark Farm; Doris Doerrie's How To Cook Your Life; Richard Trank's documentary I Have Never Forgotten You - The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal; Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa's first feature Sakuran; and leading Cuban filmmaker Fernando Perez's deliberately stylised production Madrigal.

In addition, there will be international premieres of Bekmambetov's Day Watch (Dnevnoy Dozor), the second part of his action-packed fantasy adventure Night Watch; and of Krisztina Goda's Children of Glory (Szabadság, szerelem) which recounts 'the bloodiest match ever played' between the water polo teams of the Soviet Union and Hungary at the Olympic Games in 1956.

There will also be European premieres of Jay Anania's In Day on Fire, which tells of five people whose paths cross on a winter day in New York; and German documentary filmmaker Uli Gaulke's latest film Comrades In Dreams portraying major and minor dramas and incidents accompanying film screenings in India, Burkina Faso, the USA and North Korea.

According to the festival programmers, another three titles which will be shown on the occasion of the Berlinale Camera award ceremonies are set to be announced early next week.

The 2007 lineup for Berlinale Special

Children of Glory (Szabadsag, szerelem), dir: Krisztina Goda (Hungary)

Comrades in Dreams, dir: Uli Gaulke (Germany)

Day on Fire, dir: Jay Anania (USA)

Day Watch (Dnevnoy Dozor), dir: Timur Bekmambetov (Russia)

How To Cook Your Life, dir: Doris Doerrie (Germany)

I Have Never Forgotten You - The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, dir: Richard Trank (USA).

Madrigal, dir: Fernando Perez (Spain/Cuba)

Sakuran, dir: Mika Ninagawa (Japan)

The Lark Farm (La Masseria Delle Allodole), dirs: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (Italy/Bulgaria/France/Spain/GB)

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