On the red carpet at Berlinale

Among the more high-profile guests at the 2017 Berlinale Film Festival was jury member Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose presence on the red carpet was greeted with screams from onlookers. "It's an amazing time to be an American at an international festival," she said at the opening press conference earlier in the day.

French actress Clotilde Courau turned heads upon her arrival at the Berlinale, while wearing a low-plunging black gown.

This year's seven-member jury included Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, German actress Julia Jentsch, US actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven (President of the jury), Chinese director Wang Quanan and Mexican director Diego Luna, pictured here left to right.

President of the jury, director Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Basic Instinct), acknowledged at the opening press conference that several of the 18 entries for the Golden Bear had political connotations but he hoped that the jury would judge the films on quality rather than political message. "I hope the jury members will pay attention to the quality of the films - without political prejudices."

Guests at the opening gala were treated to the global debut of "Django," a biopic that looks at the life of a jazz musician in Paris who is forced to flee the Nazis during World War II. Already ahead of its showing, the contender for the Golden Bear was receiving attention for a message some found relevant in today's political world.

Six cast members of the movie "Django" arrive at its premiere. Among them are Belgian actress Cecile de France (2nd from left), French director Etienne Comar (3rd from left), French actor Reda Kateb (3rd from right), and Hungairan singer and actress Beata Palya (2nd from right).

Among the more than 1,600 guests invited to the opening gala and screening of the first moving, "Django," were numerous German celebrities, including comedian Anke Engelke, film director Andreas Dresen and a member of Germany's national football team, Jerome Boateng (shown here).

Also walking the red carpet were celebrities who made their names in front of the camera in a different way: the Britain's Marcus Butler, a comedian with his own YouTube vlog and Stefanie Geisinger, winner of "Germany's Next Top Model."

Attending the opening celebration and film premiere of the movie, "Django" were numerous award-winning German directors, including Volker Schlöndorff, seen here with wife Angelika, Andreas Dresen as well as Wim Wenders.

Hosted by comedian Anke Engelke, the opening speeches at Berlinale focused on contemporary topics. Though Berlinale's director Dieter Kosslick had promised not to delve into politics, the jokes and talks of resistance among the film stars were at the ready.

Green party member and Parliamentarian Claudia Roth came to the red carpet with a message. Earlier in the day, she greeted her friend Richard Gere, who had a private meeting with Chancellor Merkel to discuss Tibet.

One of Germany's most prominent actresses and president of the German Film Academy, Iris Berben, stopped on the red carpet for a picture with a fan.