The Cannes Film Festival's film-maker training programme, Residence, has announced its participants for its next session.

The new talents are : Wang Bing from China, Israel's Hadar Friedlich, Switzerland's Celine Macherel, Vladimir Perisic from Serbia and Montenegro, Jaime Rosales from Spain and Belgian Dorothee Van Den Berghe.

The Festival Residence is a four-month programme aimed at helping filmmakers prepare a first or second film project. This year's selection jury was overseen by director Arnaud Desplechin.

Friedlich has won several prizes for his short films including 2000's Grief while Macherel took a FIPRESCI for her short Un Oiseau Dans Le Plafond at Torino in 2001. Rosales is another FIPRESCI winner for his first feature The Hours Of The Day which screened in Director's Fortnight this year. Van Den Berghe's Meisje won prizes at both Amiens and Locarno in 2002.

All of the directors will benefit from time to hone their scripts, meetings with industry professionals and other filmmakers for guidance and room and board over four months from Feb 27, 2004.

Former Residence graduates include Peter Sollet whose Long Way Home ran in Un Certain Regard in 2002 and Emily Young whose Kiss Of Life had a berth in Un Certain Regard in 2003