But while its stars like Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor were able to sample the limelight, the director himself couldn't make it. He is still under house arrest at his Swiss chalet, awaiting possible extradition to the US in a sex case dating back more than 30 years.

The political thriller ‘The Ghost Writer', about a disgraced former British prime minister, has been seen as a attack on Tony Blair.

Elsewhere, in the bitterly cold surroundings of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, film-goers wrapped up for a special outdoor screening.

On the menu was a nearly fully-restored version of Fritz Lang's silent classic ‘Metropolis.' Reels found in Argentina two years ago have made that possible.

The 1927 epic was beamed outside during an indoor gala performance accompanied by a live orchestra.

‘Metropolis' uses science fiction to explore social tensions between workers and owners in capitalism.

euronews