LocarnoInternational Film Festival's Irene Bignardiis promising a journey into "uncharted territories"forher final year as artistic director with 12 world premieres in its 15-titlecompetition line-up of films.

Whileadmitting that 2005 was "undoubtedly a complex and difficult year forinternational production", Bignardi told Screendaily.com that she"very happy that we discovered a number of films which are 'ours' and verymuch in line with Locarno's character: films like the Japanese Nobuhiro Suwa's UnCouple Parfait or Antonio Capuano's La Guerra Di Mario which areborderline, operating outside of genres and pretty extreme in their ownfield."

Sheexplained that three common threads - personal themes, social issues andfantasy elements - could be identified as running through the competition filmsthis year.

"Onthe one hand, you have Suwa's incredibly sensitive handling of the end of amarriage in Un Couple Parfait and, on the other, there are a number offilms responding to today's reality such as A Perfect Day from Lebanonor We Are All Fine from Iran," Bignardi said.

"Thetitle of Bizhan Mirbagheri's film belies the fact that nobody is actually fine.Moreover, the two British films - Mirrormask and The Piano Tuner OfEarthquakes belong to a kind of special humanist world and are twovery magical films about the exploration of the self."

Along with the International Competition, the number offilms screened in the nightly open-air programme on Locarno's Piazza Grande hasbeen reduced this year.

But Bignardi explained that the absence of US blockbustersin the Piazza Grande open-air programme "was neither planned nordesired", but was a direct result of the growing problem of film piracywhich made the US studios reluctant to give their Autumn releases to Locarno.

ThePiazza Grande programme will open with the world premiere of Indian filmmakerKetan Mehta's The Rising - following in the tradition of Locarno'sparticular focus on Indian cinema - and will also special screenings of filmsto honour the 2005 edition's special guests before rounding off on August 13with a presentation of Robert Altman's 30-year-old Nashville with one ofthe stars Geraldine Chaplin in attendance.

As"final fireworks" to end her five years as artistic director, thefestival will be presenting three Leopards of Honour in recognition of threeaspects of cinema to Wim Wenders, Abbas Kiarostami and Terry Gilliam.

Aspreviously reported, the UK producer Jeremy Thomas is to be this year'srecipient of the Raimondo Rezzonico Prize, while last year's newly createdExcellence Award will be awarded at this edition to John Malkovich who willalso host an acting masterclass during the festival. In addition, there will bespecial tributes paid to the veteran cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and thedocumentary filmmaker Albert Maysles with Christo and Jean-Claude.

Meanwhile,it was revealed yesterday (July 12) that the festival's deputy artisticdirector Teresa Cavina will also be stepping down after the end of thisfestival. According to Swiss film industry sources, Locarno's administrativeboard will have the question of Bignardi's successor on the agenda for itsmeeting on the Sunday (August 14) after the festival.

Amongthe names which have surfaced in recent weeks as possible candidates forartistic director are Jean Perret, the director of the Nyon International FilmFestival "Visions du Reel", Wieland Speck, head of the Berlinale'sPanorama section, and former Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera.

LOCARNO 2005: International Competition

3 Grad Kaelter (Three Degrees Colder) by Florian Hoffmeister (Germany)World Premiere

20 Centimetros by Ramon Salazar (Spain)Int. sales: Sogepaq International Premiere

Antarmahal (The Views of the Inner Chamber) by Rituparno Ghosh (India)World Premiere

Un Couple Parfait by Nobuhiro Suwa (Japan/France)World Premiere

Fratricide by Yilmaz Arslan (Germany/Luxembourg/France)Int. sales: Wild BunchWorld Premiere

La Guerra Di Mario by Antonio Capuano (Italy)Int. sales: The WorksWorld Premiere

Keller - Teenage Wasteland by Eva Urthaler (Austria/Germany/Italy)World Premiere

Ma Hameh Khoubim (We Are All Fine) by Bizhan Mirbagheri (Iran)Int. sales: Film IRAN World Premiere

Mirrormask by Dave McKean (England/USA) Int. sales: Sony EntertainmentInternational Premiere

La Neuvaine by Bernard Emond (Canada)Int. sales: Les Films Seville Inc. World Premiere

Nine Lives by Rodrigo Garcia (USA)International Premiere

A Perfect Day by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige (Lebanon/France)World Premiere

The Piano Tuner Of Earthquakes by Quay Brothers (UK/Germany/France)Int. sales: Celluloid Dreams World Premiere

Riviera by Anne Villaceque (France)Int. sales: Celluloid Dreams World Premiere

Snow White by Samir (Switzerland/Austria)World Premiere

SPECIAL EVENT OUTSIDE OF THE COMPETITION

Face Addict by Edo Bertoglio (Italy/Switzerland) (Documentary)World Premiere

Cinema Of The Present Section

9m2POUR DEUX

by Joseph Cesarini, Jimmy Glasberg (France)
L'ACCORD
by Nicolas Wadimoff (Switzerland)

ACTSOF MEN
by Kiko Goifman (Brazil)

AMOURNEUTRE
by Pierre Coulibeuf (France)

CARWASH

by Pascal Rambert (France)
CARTOGRAPHIE 6 - VALLEE DE LA JEUNESSE

by Fernand Melgar (Switzerland)

CHEREJACQUELINE

by Dominique de Rivaz (Switzerland)

DELOOSVOBAJA

by Damjan Kozole (Slovenia)

EN LACAMA

by Matias Bize (Chile)

FRANKIE

by Fabienne Berthaud (France)

FUORIVENA

by Tekla Taidelli (Italy)

GAS

by Luciano Melchionna (Italy)

THEGIANT BUDDHAS

by Christian Frei (Switzerland)

GISELA

by Isabelle Stever (Germany)

HISTORIASDEL DESECANTO

by Alejandro Valle, Felipe Gomez (Mexico)

IN UNALTRO PAESE

by Marco Turco (Italy/France)

J'AIBESOIN D'AIR

by Natacha Samuel (France)

LONESOMEJIM

by Steve Buscemi (USA)

MONOBLOC

by Luis Ortega (Argentina)

NUITNOIRE

by Olivier Smolders (Belgium/Holland)

PASSENGER

by Francois Rotger (France/Canada/Japan)

PERSEMPRE

by Alina Marazzi (Switzerland/Italy)

PETITMATIN (The Dawn)

by S. Louis (France)

PICCOLOSOLE - Vita e Morte di Henri Crotta

by Nino Bizzarri (Italy)

RAGTALE

by Mary McGuckian (UK)

SANGUE- LA MORTE NON ESISTE

by Libero De Rienzo (Italy)

VANDANA

by Lina Bertucci (USA)

WHITETERROR

by Daniel Schweizer (Switzerland/France/Germany/Finland)

Piazza Grande - Open-air Programme

Being John Malkovich by Spike Jonze (USA)Int. sales: Universal Excellence Award to John Malkovich

Don't Come Knocking by Wim Wenders (Germany/USA)Int. sales: Hanway FilmsLeopard of Honour to Wim Wenders

The Flyer by Revel Fox (South Africa/Sweden)International Premiere

Mah Nakorn (Citizen Dog) by Wisit Sasanatieng (Thailand/France)Int. sales: EuropacorpInternational Premiere

Senjo No Merry Christmas/Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence by Nagisa Oshima (Japan/UK/New Zealand)Raimondo Rezzonico Prize to Jeremy Thomas

Murderball by Dana Adam Shapiro, Henry Alex Rubin (USA)Int. sales: ThinkFilm CompanyInternational Premiere

Nashville by Robert Altman (USA)Closing evening

On A Clear Day by Gaby Dellal (UK)Int. sales: Icon Entertainment InternationalEuropean Premiere

One From The Heart by Francis Ford Coppola (USA)Homage and Excellence Award to Vittorio Storaro

Rize by David LaChappelle (USA)Int. sales: Lions Gate Films Inc.International Premiere

The Rising by Ketan Mehta (India)Int. sales: Capitol Films World Premiere

Village Football by Sainath Choudhury (India) Int. sales: Berlinale Talent CampusInternational Premiere

Zaina, Cavaliere De L'Atlas by Bourlem Guerdjou (France/Germany)World Premiere

Zir E Darakhatan E Zeyton / Through The Olive Trees by Abbas Kiarostami (France/Iran)Leopard of Honour to Abbas Kiarostami