Inan "exceptional step" this year the Locarno Film Festival (August3-13) has decided to award two Leopards of Honour to filmmakers Wim Wenders andAbbas Kiarostami.

Theyare hailed as "illustrious representatives of diverse but nonethelesscomplementary ways of making films, both ambassadors of their cultures indifferent contexts around the globe."

WhileWenders - who will turn 60 on August 14 - is being honoured "for the blendof formal research and human passion in his films", the festival decidedon Kiarostami in recognition of his works which "tell of life with theelegance of a poet and the power of a moral philosopher."

Locarnohad announced earlier this year that the UK producer Jeremy Thomas would bethis year's recipient of the Raimondo Rezzonico Prize in recognition of his workas an independent producer.

Meanwhile,the festival has unveiled the lineup for the Official Jury of the InternationalCompetition.

ValerioAdami - artist (Italy)

Enki Bilal - screenwriter, painter, director (ex-Yugoslavia)

Niki Karimi - actress and director (Iran)

Tsai Ming Liang - director (Taiwan)

Aparna Sen - actress, director, writer (India)

...and the jury for the Video Competition:

DanielleArbid - director (Lebanon)

Christian Frei - director, producer (Switzerland)

Citto Maselli - director (Italy)

Alexandra Stewart - actress (Canada)

Laurence Weiner - artist (USA).