Berlin - Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, 48, will head the jury at next year's edition of the Berlin Film Festival from February 5-15, organizers announced Wednesday.

"I'm pleased that the wonderful Tilda Swinton will be our jury president in 2009," said Dieter Kosslick, director of the Berlinale.

"Her commanding screen presence has made an indelible impression in contemporary, innovative filmmaking," he added.

Swinton has received numerous international awards for her work - most recently the 2008 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in the film Michael Clayton.

Last year she played an alcoholic in Berlinale entry Julia, directed by France's Eric Zonca.

Swinton made her screen debut in 1986 in Derek Jarman's Caravaggio, which received a Silver Bear in Berlin.

She maintained a close artistic friendship with Jarman until his death in 1994, appearing in all of his films.

In 1992 she gained international recognition in Orlando, based on the novel by Virginia Woolf.

This year she founded a film festival in her hometown of Nairn, dedicated to the discovery and rediscovery of classic world cinema treasures. (dpa)