Highlights in the international competition section for the 35th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 5-15) include the world premiere of Big Animal, directed by well-known Polish actor Jerzy Stuhr from the first script by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski.

Other world premieres at the leading film event in Central and Eastern Europe go to the Japanese film First Love (Hatsuko), by Tetsuo Shinohara, and Krisztina Deak's Hungarian title Jadviga's Pillow (Jadviga Parnaja), based on the best-selling novel recently published in Slovakia. Fridrik Thor Fridriksson's Angels Of The Universe (Englar Alheimsins) makes its international premiere in competition, as does French director Bernard Rapp's A Question Of Taste (Une Affaire De Gout).

The jury members confirmed so far are Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami; Kazakh director Ermek Shinarbayev; Yugoslav film-maker Srdjan Karanoviae; German actress and director Dana Vavrova; Israeli director Arik Kaplun, who won last year's Crystal Globe; and local director Sasa Gedeon.

In the documentary competition, where Anglo-American director Richard Leacock will preside over the jury, Amir Bar-Lev's Canadian film Fighter screens as a European premiere, while Michaela Pavlatova's On Grandma (O Babiece) combines documentary and animation.

The Horizons section, which presents films awarded prizes at other festivals, includes Bruno Dumont's Humanity (L'Humanite), Mike Leigh's Topsy Turvy and Laurent Cantet's Human Resources. The section Another View, which showcases experimental or innovative films and films from lesser known film industries, include's Francois Ozon's Raining Drops On Burning Rocks.

The forum of independents, which covers features, documentaries and shorts, particularly from the US, includes I Shot Andy Warhol and American Psycho. East Of The West will present films from the former Socialist bloc in Central and Eastern Europe, while a section dedicated to local cinema will present a near complete series of Czech films made over the previous year.

Retrospectives include Focus on Bosnia; Twenty Centuries of Christian Civilisation in Film; Treasures from the European Film Archives; and The French Woman and Love, which focuses on films about relationships and love by French female directors.

A special prize for lifetime contribution to world cinema - the Golden Crystal Globe - will be presented to Czech director Vira Chytilova. Additionally, Czech distributors will hold advance screenings of films such as Snow Falling On Cedars, The Ninth Gate, Fantasia 2000 and Eyes Wide Shut, which makes its local premiere.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Big Animal (Poland)
Dir: Jerzy Stuhr

First Love (Japan)
Dir: Tetsuo Shinohara

Jadviga's Pillow (Hungary)
Dir: Krisztina Deak

A Question Of Taste (France)
Dir: Bernard Rapp

Bride Of Fire (Iran)
Dir: Khosrow Sinai

His Wife's Diary (Russia)
Dir: Alexej Uchitel

Angels Of The Universe (Iceland)
Dir: Fridrik Thor Fridriksson

Nora (Ireland)
Dir: Pat Murphy

La Vita Altrui (Italy)
Dir: Michele Sordillo

Zprava O Putovani Studentu Petra A Jakuba (Czech Republic)
Dir: Drahomira Vihanova

A Place Nearby (Denmark)
Dir: Kaspar Rostrup

House Of Memories (India)
Dir: Aparna Sen

Yoyes(Spain)
Dir: Helena Taberna

Peppermint Candy (Korea)
Dir: Chang-Dong Lee

Marshal Tito's Spirit (Croatia)
Dir: Vinko Bresan

Die Unberuehrbare (Germany)
Dir: Oskar Roehler