New movies starring Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst will compete for top honors at this year's Berlin International Film Festival with offerings from Iran, Tunisia, the Philippines and elsewhere, and with Meryl Streep presiding over the jury that will choose the winners.

Eighteen movies are in contention for the Golden Bear prize at the first of the year's major European film festivals. In its 66th edition this year, it runs from Feb 11-21. The typically diverse program was presented by organizers on Tuesday.

It's hard to pin down any single overarching theme, but festival director Dieter Kosslick says many movies at this year's event address "the search for happiness" and "migration in the world in very varying forms".