Congratulations are in order to the Berlin International Film Festival for selecting Isabella Rossellini to head the jury this February.

Festival director Dieter Kosslick described Rossellini as "a multifaceted, creative film artist with extensive experience in European, American and international cinema."

We've loved Isabella Rossellini for a long time. The beautiful and versatile actress has starred in such cult classics as Blue Velvet and The Saddest Music in the World. Her short film series Green Porno about the sexual lives of animals was both funny and brilliant.

Fatih Akin (Head-ON, The Edge of Heaven) has made a comedy. Hooray for him. Hooray for us. The German filmmaker is best known for his prize-winning, brooding dramas that grapple with the uneasy co-existence of Turks and Germans in an ever changing Europe. In Soul Kitchen, Akin turns playful, taking us inside a restaurant in Hamburg.

Soul Kitchen opens today. Read Marcy's review.

Goro Miyazaki, son of anime legend Hayao (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle), adapted Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea books for his directing debut. But could there be anything more thankless than taking over a project tailor-made for your genius father and attempt to match his best work?

Tales from Earthsea opens in the US today. Read Jürgen's review.

Franka Potente (still best know for  Run Lola Run) and Asia Argento (shocking as always in The Last Mistress) are always interesting. For who they are. For the movies they make. In Argento's case, the films she has directed. Now they are branching out on new literary paths.

Argento recently published Victims They Know So Well, a collection of personal breakup letters addressed to her by lost loves in different cities. Potente published Zehn, a collection of stories set in Japan. Argento's texts, in English and French, are beautifully annotated with drawings and photos -- by Argento. Potente's stories are -- unfortunately for those who do not speak the language -- in German.