The world premiere of Tom Tykwer's The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts has been named as the opening film of the 2009 Berlinale on February 5.

The action thriller also stars Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O'Byrne, Ulrich Thomsen and Jack McGee.

The International will be presented 'out of competition' in the festival's Official Competition programme.

The film is a Mosaic Media Group production, co-produced by the UK's Rose Line Productions Ltd and Siebente Babelsberg Film.

The International spent nine of its 13 weeks shoot at Babelsberg or on location in the German capital in autumn 2007, as well as shooting at locations in New York, Istanbul and Milan.

Sony Pictures Releasing will release The International theatrically in Germany a week later on February 12.

This is Tom Tykwer's second film to open the Berlinale; his first international production, Heaven, starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, kicked off the first festival under Dieter Kosslick's direction in 2002.

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