Miguel Pereira, the new artistic co-ordinator of Mar del Plata, South America's leading film festival, has completed the competition line-up for his debut event, which runs March 6-15.

The latest additions are Hugo Santiago's Le Loup De La Cote Ouest (France/Portugal), Matti Ijas' Blue Corner (Finland), David G Green's All The Real Girls (US), Horst Krassa's Uber Nacht (Germany) and Fernando Sarina's Amarte Duele (Mexico).

These round out the programme that also includes Yong-Gyun Kim's Wanne & Junah (South Korea); Domingos De Oliveira's Separacoes (Brazil); Damian Szifron's El Fondo Del Mar (Argentina); Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi's Bug (US); David Ofek and Joseph Madmoni's The Barbecue People (Israel); Antonio Chavarria's Volveras (Spain); Alejandro Agresti's Valentin (Argentina/Netherlands); Jeff Erbach's The Nature Of Nicholas (Canada); Ebrahim Hatamikia's Low Heights (Iran); Nils Malmros' Facing The Truth (Denmark); and Daniel Macivor's Past Perfect (Canada).

Spanish actress Assumpta Serna heads the jury and is joined by Argentine director Carlos Sorin, Brazilian film-maker Suzana Amaral, French writer/director Pascal Bonitzer, US director Ulu Grosbard and the Indian-Canadian writer/film-maker/producer Deepa Mehta.

Fernando Mereilles' smash hit City Of God will open the festival out of competition, and Spanish director Carlos Saura's Salome will close the event, again out of competition. Robert Duvall's Assassination Tango, which shot in Buenos Aires, will have a special out of competition screening, as will Ventura Pons' El Gran Gato (Spain).

Other sections in the festival are: Punto de vista (Point of View), which will consist of some18 films from around the world; America Latina XXI (Latin America XXI), a selection of the best work from Latin American countries; La Mujer Y El Cine (Women and Film), a selection of international films from female directors; Cerca De Lo Oscuro (Near Darkness), a special selection of "dark themed" international films; Pantalla al aire libre, which are a series of open air screenings on Mar del Plata's seafront.

Three new sections have been added to this, Ventana Documental (Documentary Section), consisting of eight films dealing with social and political issues in a globalised world; Raices (Roots): comprising films from each autonomous region of Spain; and a section dedicated to graduation films from the world's leading film schools around the world.

The festival will also include the previously announced retrospectives: Nicolas Roeg, Nelson Pereira Dos Santos and Walter Salles' documentary work.

Pereira, an award-winning features director himself, has promised to redefine Mar del Plata's identity as a festival created "by film-makers for film-makers"