The Montreal World Film Festival announced its full line-up, including 20 films in its official competition alongside festival opener Christophe Barratier's period drama Paris 36 announced yesterday.

In all, MWFF festival president Serge Losique and vice-president Danielle Cauchard unwrapped 234 feature films, 105 of which are world or international premieres.

Competition entries include two films from Quebec, Stephan Gehami's En Plein Coeur and Benoit Pilon's Ce Qu'il Faut Pour Vivre (also previously announced). From Germany comes Ulla Wagner's The Invention Of Curried Sausage, starring Barbara Sukowa; from Spain comes Manuel Gutierrez Aragon's Who's Next' and Xavi Puebla's Welcome To Farewell-Gutmann; while from Israel come two films, Eitan Green's It All Begins At Sea and Ali Nassar's Whispering Embers.

Japan has two films in competition, Yojiro Takita's Okuribito and Ryoichi Kimizuka's Nobody To Watch Over Me. From China comes Nima's Women by Zhuo Gehe. Mexican director Walter Doehner brings Teo's Voyage while Philippine filmmakers Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos bring Selda (The Inmate). Sweden's Daniel Alfredson presents Varg (Wolf) while Holland's Arno Dierickx has Blood Brothers.

From Belgium comes Patrice Toye's Nowhere Man, from Argentina comes Rain by Paula Hernandez while US director Matthew Wilder presents Your Name Here, starring Bill Pullman as a science fiction writer who begins writing himself into his own story. Goran Markovic winner of the Grand Prize of the Americas in 2003 returns with The Tour, about an acting troupe amidst the disintegration of Yugoslavia.

A number of name directors are represented in the World Greats programme including Dorris Dorrie's Cherry Blossoms - Hanami and Argentine Eliseo Subiela - a multiple winner at the WFF - with Don't Look Down.

A number of selections made debuts at previous festivals this year including Emir Kusturica's Maradona By Kusturica, Marco Tullio Giodana's Wild Blood, Andrzej Wajda's Katyn, Marina Zenovich's Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired and Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Among the documentaries screening at the MWFF are works by New Zealand filmmaker Vincent Ward (Rain Of The Children) and Canadian journalist Alexandre Trudeau (Refuge).

As well as the festival will present homages to acting legend Tony Curtis and producer Alan Ladd Jr., a masterclass from director Brian De Palma, a sidebar on Bavarian cinema and a series of Russian musical comedies from the Soviet era.

The festival runs from August 21 to September 1.