World premieres of new films by Boris Khlebnikov, Sebastian Schipper, Ulrike Ottinger and Petr Lom have been confirmed as the Berlinale's Forum section finalises its 2009 line-up of 48 films from 31 countries.

Russian filmmaker Khlebnikov's Help Gone Mad about the adventures of a Byelorussian migrant coming to Moscow to make his living is his third feature after Koktebel and Free Floating, while Schipper has been inspired by Goethe's Elective Affinities for Sometime In August starring Marie Bäumer, Milan Peschel, Anna Brüggemann, Andre Hennicke.

A Forum regular, Ulrike Ottinger is back this year with her latest documentary The Korean Wedding Chest about contemporary life in the Korean metropolis of Seoul, and Czech director Petr Lom's Letters To The President focuses on the letters that millions of Iranians, encouraged by state propaganda, write to their president.

In addition, the Forum's Christoph Terhechte has invited Swedish filmmaker Måns Månsson's portrait of the governor of the Province of Uppsala in Mr Governor and cult Hong Kong director Dante Lam's thriller The Beast Stalker as well as Raphaël Nadjari's documentary A History Of Israeli Cinema.

This year's programme will be presenting eleven debuts, 25 world premieres and 12 international premieres.

The Forum's complete list of films are:

(WP=world premiere, IP=international premiere, EP=European premiere)

Beeswax by Andrew Bujalski, USA (WP)

Burrowing by Fredrik Wenzel, Henrik Hellström, Sweden (WP)

By Comparison by Harun Farocki, Germany/Austria (WP)

Calimucho by Eugenie Jansen, The Netherlands (IP)

Can Go Through Skin by Esther Rots, The Netherlands (IP)

Citizen Juling by Kraisak Choonhavan, Manit Sriwanichpoom, Ing K, Thailand (EP)

Deep In The Valley by Funahashi Atsushi, Japan (WP)

Defamation by Yoav Shamir, Israel/Austria (WP)

Doctor Ma's Country Clinic by Cong Feng, People's Republic of China (EP)

Encirclement by Richard Brouillette, Canada (IP)

From Arusha To Arusha by Christophe Gargot, France/Canada/Ruanda (IP)

Green Waters by Mariano De Rosa, Argentina (WP)

Help Gone Mad by Boris Khlebnikov, Russia (WP)

Land Of Scarecrows by Roh Gyeong-Tae, Republic of Korea/France (IP)

Letters To The President by Petr Lom, Canada/Iran (WP)

Love Exposure by Sono Sion, Japan (IP)

Marin Blue by Matthew Hysell, USA (WP)

Members Of The Funeral by Baek Seung-Bin, Republic of Korea (IP)

Mental by Soda Kazuhiro, Japan (EP)

Mr Governor by Måns Månsson, Sweden (IP)

My Dear Enemy by Lee Yoon-Ki, Republic of Korea (IP)

My Only Sunshine by Reha Erdem, Turkey/Greece/Bulgaria (IP)

My Greatest Escape by Fabienne Godet, France (WP)

Naked Of Defenses by Ichii Masahide, Japan (EP)

Pardon My French by Sophie Fillières, France (WP)

Rachel by Simone Bitton, France/Belgium (WP)

Sometime In August by Sebastian Schipper, Germany (WP)

Soundless Wind Chime by Kit Hung, Hong Kong/Switzerland (WP)

Sweetgrass by Lucien Castaing-Taylor, USA (WP)

The Day After by Lee Suk-Gyung, Republic of Korea (WP)

The Exploding Girl by Bradley Rust Gray, USA (WP)

The Happiest Girl In The World by Radu Jude, Romania/The Netherlands (WP)

The Korean Wedding Chest by Ulrike Ottinger, Germany (WP)

The Mermaid And The Diver by Mercedes Moncada Rodriguez, Mexico/Nicaragua/Spain (WP)

The One Man Village by Simon El Habre, Lebanon (EP)

Treeless Mountain by So-Yong Kim, USA/Republic of Korea (EP)

Winter Silence by Sonja Wyss, The Netherlands/Switzerland (IP)

Special Screenings

A History Of Israeli Cinema by Raphaël Nadjari, France/Israel (WP)

Araya by Margot Benacerraf, Venezuela/France (WP of the restored print)

Clinch by John Cook, Austria

Material by Thomas Heise, Germany (WP)

Slow Summer by John Cook, Austria

Soul Power by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, USA (EP)

The Beast Stalker by Dante Lam, Hong Kong (IP)

The Blue Generation by Garin Nugroho, John De Rantau, Dosy Omar, Indonesia (WP)

The Wondrous World Of Laundry by Hans-Christian Schmid, Germany (WP)

When It Was Blue by Jennifer Reeves, USA/Iceland (EP)

Filmmakers Against Racism:

Affectionately Known as Alex by Danny Turken, South Africa (EP)

Angels on our Shoulders by Andy Spitz, South Africa (EP)

The Blessing by Omelga Mthiyane, Riaan Hendriks, Marianne Gysae, South Africa (EP)

The Burning Man by Adze Ugah, South Africa (EP)

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