Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled this year's line-up, with films in competition including Korean Kim Ki-duk's Coast Guard and Facing Windows from Italy's Ferzan Ozpetek.

The festival, which takes place in the Czech west Bohemian spa town July 4-12, will feature 16 films in the main competition for the $20,000 Grand Prix.

In addition to previously announced entries Pupendo, Czech director Jan Hrejbek's local smash, and the Czech-Slovak co-production Cruel Joys, directed by Juraj Nvota, organisers have selected films mainly from continental Europe, plus one selection each from Korea, Iran, the Philippines and the US.

Kim, one of Korea's top directors (Address Unknown, Bad Guy), returns to Karlovy Vary for the 38th edition after attending as a special guest last year.

Popular favourites in the main competition line-up include Hrebejk's Pupendo, one of the most successful Czech films of recent years, and Ozpetek's Facing Windows, the most popular Italian film of last year, starring the recently deceased Italian screen legend Massimo Girotti.

Karlovy Vary has become known as a Mecca for lovers of films from Eastern Europe and Asia. This year the tradition continues with Lidia Bobrova bringing the inter-generational drama Babusya, set in northern Russia, to the main competition, Mario J. Delos Reyes' Magnifico from the Philippines, and Abdolrasoul Golbon representing Iran with Paradise Is Somewhere Else.

But as the Czech Republic gears up to join the European Union next year, the majority of the films in the main competition are in fact from continental Europe.

Representing Denmark, Natasha Arthy competes with a Dogme love story Old, New, Borrowed And Blue. From Norway, Morten Tyldum comes with Buddy, the story of the quick rise to fame of a 24-year-old outcast. From Germany, Rudolf Thome competes with Red And Blue, the story of a Turkish girl in Berlin. Greece's Nicos Cornilios comes with his third film, The World Again.

European co-productions abound. In addition to the Czech-Slovak Cruel Joys, other competing films include Markus Heltschl's German-Austrian Dead Man's Memories, Alain Corneau's French-Japanese-themed Fear And Trembling, Andor Szilagyi's Hungarian-Italian Rose's Songs, and the Irish-British-Danish-Spanish Song For A Raggy Boy.

Representing the United States is Wayne Kramer's The Cooler, starring William H Macy, who won the Best Actor award at the festival last year for his role in Focus.