Guadalajara's 18th Mexican Film Showcase (Mar 21-27) has unveiled the official entries to its Mexican and Iberoamerican sections.

Fifteen Mexican films have made the cut. With the exception of El Crimen Del Padre Amaro, none of the titles have yet been released in Mexico. Two documentaries are in the list: rockumentary Alex Lora: Esclavo Del Rock & Roll and La Pasion De Maria Elena which participated at Sundance in January.

Set to have their world premieres at the festival are Carlos Sama's urban satire Sin Ton Ni Sonia, Hector Bonilla's directorial debut Monica Y El Profesor, Rafael Montero's Dame Tu Cuerpo, Jorge Araujo's Fantasias, Everardo Gonzalez' La Cancion Del Pulque and Jose Luis Argaz' account of the search for the wreckage of a sunken 17th century Spanish galleon La Trinidad, El Misterio De Trinidad.

Other titles are Carlos Reygadas' Japon which premiered in Cannes last year. Julian Hernandez's Berlin 2003 Best Picture Teddy Bear winner Mil Nubes De Paz Cercan El Cielo, Marcela Arteaga's Recuerdos, Gabriel Soriano's Seis Dias En La Oscuridad and two films by Leopoldo Laborde: Sin Destino and El Secreto De La Esperanza.

Leading the list of 13 notable feature films competing in the Iberoamerican section are three from Brazil: Fernando Meirelles' City Of God, Karim Ainouz' Madame Sata and Aluizio Abranches' Las Tres Marias. Spain is represented by Fernando Leon de Aranoa's Los Lunes Al Sol, Chus Giutierrez' Poniente and Ramon Salazar's Piedras. Argentinean titles include Pablo Trapero's El Bonaerense, Carlos Sarin's Historias Minimas and Adolfo Aristarain's Lugares Comunes. Other entries include Juan Carlos Cremata's Nada (Cuba), Rodrigo Triana's Como El Gato Y El Raton (Colombia) and Diego Arzuaga's El Ultimo Tren (Uruguay-Argentina-Spain).

Sidebars honouring notable Mexicans in the country's film industry include a restrospective of films produced by El Crimen del Padre Amaro producer Alfredo Ripstein, father of director Arturo Risptein. The festival will also pay homage to film historian Emilio Garcia Riera and documentary filmmaker Patricio Guzman, featuring a retrospective of the latter's works.