It's been an epic year for movies.

From James Cameron's return to the big screen with "Avatar," to "Star Trek" re-imagined to the star-studded cast of Rob Marshall's "Nine," Hollywood has been going big guns this year.

Meanwhile over in independent film a new star was born - Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe - the abused, overweight teen who grabs your heart and won't let go in "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire."

And a few foreign language films - "The White Ribbon" and "A Prophet," in particular - simply blew critics' socks off.

We canvassed a diverse group of movie experts to find out what films they thought were the best of 2009.

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London, England (CNN) - Director Guy Ritchie says he was determined to make Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, the two male leads in his new movie, "Sherlock Holmes," off-screen pals to ensure the success of his film.

The British director, known for his now-dissolved marriage to Madonna as much as for his films, took the American and British actors to the Punch Bowl, his local London pub, so they could get to know each other well during filming.

"What was essential to me is that when these guys first met as mates that they really got on with one other, and they did - within five seconds," Ritchie told CNN. "Rudy [Downey Jr.] and Judy [Law] and I had a lot of late nights in the pub."

His strategy seems to have worked - off-screen anyway.

On the red carpet at the London premiere of the film, which opens on Christmas Day in the States and the day after in the UK, Law joked he was "in love" with Downey Jr., adding that "the flirting started the minute we met. It was based on mutual respect and admiration."

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Said Taghmaoui was a crowd favorite at the 9th Marrakech International Film Festival.(PHOTO: AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

In spite of its recent arrival on the global film festival circuit, the 9th Marrakech International Film Festival attracted some of the world’s most respected filmmakers. Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami presided over the jury this year, a role previously held by Roman Polanski, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Milos Forman and Barry Levinson.

The festival manages to showcase both the dynamic Moroccan film industry and the astonishingly diverse protagonists of international cinema.

Since 2005, Moroccan directors have been making between 15 and 20 feature films a year, according to Nour-Eddine Sail, Director General of the Moroccan Film Center.  He told CNN the North African country is dedicated to producing its very own images of its cities and landscapes, as well as promoting Moroccan filmmakers.

Foreign investment is very important to the Moroccan film industry: Mr Sail added that overseas money - coming mainly from Europe and the U.S. - amounted to $100 million in 2008 and $60 million in 2009. Ridley Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven,” Oliver Stone’s “Alexander” and the upcoming “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” - starring Ben Kingsley and Jake Gyllenhaal - were all shot in the famous Atlas film studios in Ouarzazate.

The Marrakech International Film Festival is a celebration of cultural diversity. This year 15 nationalities are represented in the international competition. French-Moroccan actor Said Taghmaoui was given a special tribute and his star power was evident on the red carpet, where Moroccan women, men and children showered him with affection and offered him babies’ cheeks for kisses.

Even though Taghmaoui is amongst only a handful of young French actors who have managed to cross over into Hollywood, the 36-year-old was modest when accepting the award, previously given to veteran actor, Sir Ben Kingsley. Taghmaoui moves seamlessly from French to English, considering himself an international actor, and telling CNN “the sky is my home.”

Marrakech also paid tribute to Serbian screenwriter, director and musician Emir Kusturica, who embodies the concept of the international filmmaker. Kusturica attended the Milos Forman Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and then went on to win the Palm D’Or twice in his career for  “When Father Was Away on Business” and “Underground.”

After teaching at Columbia University in New York, Kusturica made “Arizona Dream,” his first film in the United States starring Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway which won him the Silver Bear in Berlin.

In 2008 Kusturica launched a film festival dedicated to helping young filmmakers in the Serbian mountain resort town of Mokra Gora, a town which was developed out of a Kusturica set for the film “Life is a Miracle.”

Kusturica’s future projects include a film about the life of Mexican revolutionary hero Pancho Villa in his upcoming biopic titled "Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers."

CNN) - James Cameron unveiled his much-hyped, wildly-anticipated 3D sci-fi epic "Avatar" to audiences in full in London Thursday.

Here's what the critics are saying about the Oscar-winner's first outing since "Titanic," the most successful film of modern times.

Todd McCarthy, Variety: The King of the World sets his sights on creating another world entirely in "Avatar," and it's very much a place worth visiting.

...delivers unique spectacle, breathtaking sights, narrative excitement and an overarching anti-imperialist, back-to-nature theme that will play very well around the world..."

Mike Goodridge, Screen International: ...once again takes cinema to a new level of remarkable spectacle ...

An epic film born entirely of Cameron's imagination, "Avatar" uses tailor-made technology to create the most astonishing visual effects yet seen on screen and blends them seamlessly into a mythical sci-fi story about an ancient alien civilization fighting the encroaching human menace.

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London, England (CNN) - James Cameron's feverishly-awaited sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" has enjoyed its world premiere to strong reviews.

Hyped as the most technically-ambitious and expensive film ever made, "Avatar," had a lot to live up to.

But, as the credits rolled following the 3D epic's world premiere in London Thursday, it looked like the "Titanic" director's decade-long gamble had paid off.

There were whoops and cheers as portions of the audience gave Cameron and cast members, including Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington, a standing ovation.

Later, outside, among the excited crowd, much of the talk was about the amazing spectacle Cameron had created on the fictional planet of Pandora, which has been invaded by military forces from Earth.

"It was an absolute marvel and I am left in awe after seeing it," audience member James Howard, 23, said of the magical jungle planet that lights up with phosphorescence at night.

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Thessaloniki Film Festival turns 50

Werner Herzog at Thessaloniki

They might have been trained to ride flying broomsticks and mix potions but life after Hogwarts is still a riddle for the young magicians of the Harry Potter series.

With filming in the last part of the series –"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" - well underway, the cast of the multi-million selling franchise seem bound to look back and reflect on their nine-year-long magic ride.

"It was September 29, 2000," Daniel Radcliffe, now 20, told CNN with a hint of nostalgia about his first day on set in Goathland railway station in northern England.

"Me, Emma [Watson], and Rupert [Grint] had all traveled up that day in a minibus, and we sat on the back seat - which was undoubtedly my influence - pretending that we were DJs on a radio station."

Surely, not many of those present at that first shoot could have predicted Harry Potter's unprecedented level of success in the coming years.

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London, England (CNN) - Hundreds of millions of dollars is a lot to spend on a film featuring a bunch of blue aliens - but that's exactly what Fox Features has done with new 3D sci-fi "Avatar," which the movie studio says is the most expensive production it has ever made.

In an interview with CNN just before the movie's worldwide release later this month, James Gianopulos, co-chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, wouldn't divulge the figure spent on the sci-fi blockbuster.

Guessing the multi-million dollar sum of the latest film from director James Cameron has been a popular game for industry watchers for some months: a recent article in the Wall Street Journal speculated the film's final tally could exceed $300 million.

"It is the most expensive film we've made, but now, having the luxury of hindsight, it is money well spent, so I'm not concerned about it," Gianopulos told CNN at the Thessaloniki film festival in Greece.

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The stellar cast of 'Nine' at the premiere of Rob Marshall's musical. IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES

Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Dame Judi Dench, and Rob Marshall were all in London Thursday evening for the world premiere of their new movie-musical “Nine." With so much talent on the red carpet, the scene at Leicester Square could have easily been confused for a major awards show.

The only difference might have been that I could barely feel my toes because of the cold. Also, let’s face it, I couldn’t get into the Oscars.

Missing from the premiere were the other three leading ladies of the film: Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren and Fergie.

That makes seven women surrounding Daniel Day-Lewis in director Rob Marshall’s first musical on the big screen since “Chicago”, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2003. “Nine," a third-removed adaptation of Federico Fellini’s “8 ½”, tells the story of Italian director Guido Contini, played by Day-Lewis, who in the midst of a mid-life crisis, struggles to balance the many women in his life in 1960s Venice.

The cast of “Nine” feels like the Olympics of acting. Ireland, represented by Day-Lewis, was first to arrive at the premiere and the actor talked to reporters dressed in high-waisted brown pants, just as quirky as he is.

Although Day-Lewis learned Italian for the Italy-drenched role and would seldom break character while on the set of “Nine,” he confessed he was worried about the singing and dancing. “Most of us are new to this kind of work,” he admitted, “so we all started in the same place - one of abject humility and dread”.

It was a chilly evening in Leicester Square, and although the women of the film looked fantastic, they just weren’t dressed for the weather. Nicole Kidman, outfitted in a short skirt, was too cold to answer questions outside and scurried for warmth. Penelope Cruz only made it through a few reporters and autographs before joining her fellow actors inside. I couldn’t help thinking that I would have worn more clothes, but then my legs don’t measure up to Nicole’s. If you were on a red carpet, would you dress for style, or comfort?

The stars weren’t the only ones braving the weather. Fans clamoring for autographs were plentiful. Screams of “Rob! We love you! We loved “Chicago!” bodes well for the film, which opens Dec. 18 in the U.K.

The success or failure of “Nine” is important to the musical film genre, which has produced such greats as “Hairspray”, “Dreamgirls,” “Mamma Mia” and “Chicago”. “I was overwhelmed with the turnout of women who came and auditioned for ‘Nine,” Rob Marshall told us. “We saw so many great actors and I was blown away by that. “Chicago” might have opened the door a little.”

There’s no doubt this group can act - the cast of “Nine” boasts seven Oscars between them. But, as the release date approaches, only one question remains: Can they also sing and dance?

They are the deal-makers behind the scenes who make it all happen. We talk to "The Dark Knight's" Charles Roven and other producers to find out what their little-known but vital part of the industry entails.

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