'Rose' blooms as Munich goes Latin

Fest to fete Karmitz

BERLIN -- "The Rose Seller," Victor Gaviria's pic about Colombian street kids, will open this year's Munich Filmfest June 26. Fest is set to showcase more than 100 films before the final curtain falls July 3.

A spotlight on Latin American cinema boasts a lineup of 11 features, including Leonardo Ricagni's "El Chevrole" and the Brazilian Belo Brant's "Friendly Fire."

The World Cinema and American Indies sections will give auds a chance to catch up on recent fest runners such as Robert Altman's "Cookie's Fortune," Pedro Almodovar's "All About My Mother" and Fernando Trueba's "The Girl of Your Dreams."

Roman Polanski and Filipino director Marilou Diaz-Abaya will be in town for retrospectives of their respective films, as will producer Marin Karmitz, the subject of this year's homage.

Other notable guests include Roland Emmerich, John Boorman, Cauleen Smith and Jacques Doillon.