The 39th edition of theCzech Republic's Karlovy Vary Film Festival (July2-10) has lined up animpressive number of new European titles for its competition programme with astrong presence from Eastern Europe plus titles from India, Japan and Iran.

A few films had already beenannounced, such as Marek Najbrt's black comedy Champions (Mistri) (Czech Republic), Paprika Steen's maritalcrisis drama Aftermath (Denmark) and Konrad Niewolsk's prison set Symetria (Poland).

This year's line-up onlyfound room for one American film in the competition, Lisa Cholodenko'spyschological drama Cavedweller,which recently screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.

These relative newcomers arejoined by anticipated titles from established filmmakers like My Step Brother Frankenstein fromRussian writer-director Valery Todorovsky (TheLover), Niceland from Iceland'sFridrik Thor Fridriksson (Falcons)and Sakamoto Junji's Japanese feature Outof This World, which stars Peter Mullan. The latter tells how youngJapanese jazz-musicians after WW2 had to accept that their favourite music camefrom the occupying force.

Eastern Europe is alsorepresented by Attila Janisch's After theDay Before (Hungary), a drama about a man who inherits a house in theremote countryside, and Metod Pevec' BeneathHer Window (Slovenia) about a ballroom dance instructor insearch of a footing in life.

From Germany comes DennisGansel's feature Napola, while Spanish director Xavier Sanchez Bermúdez presents Leon And Olvido. Christophe Barratier'sFrench hit Les Choristes isalso in competition, as is Andrea and Antonio Frazzi Italian film A Children's Story, about a young boy who gets mixed up with thecriminal underworld.

From Iran comes Ali-RezaAmini's The Riverside, which dealswith Kurdish refugees on the Iranian border, while Rituparno Ghosh's Indian Raincoat is a love story set against arainy monsoon season.

As previously announced John Irvin's The Boys From County Clarewill open this year's event, while the gala closing will be in the green but caringhands of Shrek 2, which will be released locally straight after thefestival.

Karlovy Vary maincompetition line-up
Cavedweller Dir: Lisa Cholodenko (USA)
Leon and Olvido Dir: Xavier Sanchez Bermúdez (Spain)
Champions Dir: Marek Najbrt (Czech Republic)
My Step Brother Frankenstein Dir: Valery Todorovsky (Russia)
The Riverside Dir: Ali-Reza Amini (Iran)
Napola Dir: Dennis Gansel (Germany)
After the Day Before Dir: Attila Janisch (Hungary)
Aftermath Dir: Paprika Steen (Denmark)
Niceland Dir: Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (Iceland, Germany, UK, Denmark)
Raincoat Dir: Rituparno Ghosh (India)
Beneath Her Window Dir: Metod Pevec (Slovenia)
Out of This World Dir: Sakamoto Junji (Japan)
Les Choristes Dir: Christophe Barratier (France, Switzerland)
Symmetry Dir: Konrad Niewolski (Poland)
Here Dir: Zrinko Ogresta (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
A Children's Story Dir: Andrea and Antonio Frazzi (Italy)