Berlin festival topper Dieter Kosslick has visited Israel a number of times in recent months, in one of which he delivered a speech on the opening night of the Jerusalem film fest, where he trumpeted the state of Israeli cinema.

With Berlin traditionally the most political of the major European film fests, not to mention the complex history of Israeli-German relations, Kosslick has had to walk a tightrope to ensure that any events organized by the fest would not offend people on any side.

Kosslick may have found a balance by filling the line-up with Israeli fare but avoiding any official announcements surrounding the anniversary. While the six titles in the lineup, three features and three docs, range in theme and style, one trend in the films is the extent to which the political situation in the Middle East is an ever-present factor.

Competition entry Amos Kolleck's "Restless," a tale of a father and son reuniting since the dad walked out on his family to pursue a poetry career in New York 20 years earlier, mixes the personal with the political as the prodigal father's verses alternately champion and attack Israel. That the son has recently been discharged from the Israeli army only adds to the drama.

Eran Riklis' "Lemon Tree," selected for the Panorama sidebar and starring Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass, tells the story of a Palestinian woman (Abbass) who discovers that the Israeli defense minister has just moved in across from the lemon grove in her garden. When the minister orders her grove to be chopped down after it is deemed a threat to his security, the woman challenges his decision in the Israeli high court.

Riklis is joined in Panorama by Dror Moreh's doc "Sharon," which recounts the comatose former Israeli premier Ariel Sharon's decision to unilaterally end Israeli's occupation of the Gaza Strip.

Two docus also play in the Berlinale's Forum: Natalie Assouline's "Shahida" and Yoav Shamir's "Flipping Out."

Assouline's hot-potato pic saw her spend two years talking to five female Palestinian would-be suicide bombers currently residing in Israeli jails.

Shamir's doc uncovers the phenomenon of recently discharged Israeli soldiers who, so traumatized by their experiences in the Palestinian territories, decamp to India and indulge in copious drug taking.

Rounding out the selection is a special presentation of Israel's most famous filmmaking agitator Amos Gitai and his new pic "Tomorrow You Will Understand."

The downbeat tone of many of these films reflects the mood among certain sectors of the country's artistic community. A series of government funding cutbacks have seen demonstrations by Israel's artists, musicians, dance and theater professionals.

Films such as Joseph Cedar's "Beaufort," Eran Kolirin's "The Band's Visit" and Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen's "Jellyfish" and David Volach's "My Father, My Lord," won major awards at last year's Berlinale, Cannes and Tribeca fests, respectively.

Israeli audiences are also going to see local pictures, with four Israeli films making the country's top-10 grossing list for the first time ever in 2007.