Europe once again comes on strong amongst Cannes competitors with the Directors Fortnight sidebar boasting 11 films from the continent. In total, 22 titles were announced Tuesday morning in Paris with six films from France alone, not including co-productions in which the country is involved.

The US makes the second biggest appearance with five titles, including Bug, the latest from veteran director William Friedkin who marks his first official trip to Cannes this year. The thriller stars Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr.

Other US titles include a directorial first from cult French band Daft Punk, Daft Punk's Electorama by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter which is billed as a visual and musical odyssey about two robots on a quest to become human. Sundance contender The Hawk Is Dying from Julian Goldberger also scored a berth as did M. Blash's first film Lying with Chloe Sevigny, Jena Malone and Leelee Sobieski.

France's six titles are from confirmed talents including Jean-Claude Brisseau with Les Anges Exterminateurs, Michel Ocelot with the animated Azur Et Asmar, documentary maker Claire Simon here making a return to the Fortnight with a second feature Ca Brule, Emmanuel Mouret - who was selected in the Fortnight with 2004's Venus Et Fleur - with Changement D'Adresse and 17 Fois Cecile Cassard director Christoophe Honore with the story of a two brother in Dans Paris.

From Eastern Europe, currently making a splash in all the Cannes sections, are A Fost Sau N-A Fost' by Romania's Corneliu Porumboiu and Hungary's Feher Tenyer by Szabolcs Hadju. The latter is a French co-production.

Only two Asian films made the cut with South Korean's The Host by Bong Joon-Ho and Japan's Yureru from Nishikawa Miwa.

One film from Italy, Canada, Spain, Denmark, Germany and Portugal are also in the line up (see complete list) along with Ray Lawrence's well-anticipated Jindabyne from Australia and Philippe Falardeau's Congorama from Canada, Belgium and France which rounds out the list as the closing night film.

Cannes 2006 Directors Fortnight

(*denotesfirst film, eligibility for Camera D'Or)

*A Fost Sau N-A Fost' (Corneliu Porumboiu) Romania

*Anche Libero Va Bene (Kim Rossi Stuart) Italy

Les Anges Exterminateurs (Jean-Claude Brisseau) France

Azur Et Asmar (Michel Ocelot) France,Belgium, Italy, Spain

Bug (William Friedkin) US

Ca Brule (Claire Simon) France, Switzerland

Changement D'Adresse (Emmanuel Mouret) France

Congorama (closing night film) (Philippe Falardeau)Canada, Belgium, France

*Daft Punk's Electorama (Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christoand Thomas Bangalter) US

Dans Paris (Christophe Honore) France

Dan Night Day Night (Julia Loktev) US, Germany, France

Feher Tenyer (Szabolcs Hadju) Hungary, France

The Hawk Is Dying (Julian Goldberger)US

*Honor De Cavalleria(AlbertSerra) Spain

The Host (Bong Joon-Ho) South Korea

Jindabyne (Ray Lawrence) Australia

*Lying (M. Blash) US

*On Ne Devrait Pas Exister (HPG) France

*Princess (Anders Morgenthaler) Denmark,Germany

Sommer 04 An DerSchlei (Stefan Krohmer) Germany

Transe (Teresa Villaverde) Portugal, France, Italy

Yureru (Nishikawa Miwa) Japan

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Fantasma (Lisandro Alonso) Argentina,France, Holland

*Melvil (Melvil Poupaud) France

Mala Noche (Gus Van Sant) US