The line-up for the 47th running of Critics Week was announced at Paris Cinematheque Francaise on Thursday morning. In his opening remarks, the section's artistic director Jean-Christophe Berjon noted that submissions this year had come from 69 countries, with 850 feature films being screened by the selection committee. Ultimately, with only ten slots to fill, Berjon lamented the fact that 98.6% of the film-makers who aimed for acceptance had to be turned down.

In the selection process, however, Berjon said that he and his team had been more 'exacting and more discerning' with a more sober line-up of films this year than in the recent past.

Ten films will run in the sidebar, book-ended by an opener and a closer and one special screening.

Eastern Europe is well-represented this year with a film from Bonsia-Herzegovina titled Snow. Aida Begic's film is about a small village whose lives are disrupted by visiting businessmen just before a storm hits. From Russia's Valeria Gaia Germanica comes Everybody Dies But Me, about a group of young girls who are best friends until a school dance changes their lives forever.

The rest of Europe is represented by one film from the UK (Duane Hopkins' Better Things), one from Belgium (Christophe Van Rompaey's Moscow, Belgium ), one from Germany (Emily Atef's The Stranger In Me) and one from France (Grown Ups by Anna Novion).

Argentine film Blood Appears (La Sangre Brota) has good buzz and is directed by Pablo Fendrik to round out the competition line-up. From Mexico, Rodrigo Pla, who found success with last year's The Zone, closes the section out of competition with The Desert Within, while Israel's Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz' Seven Days will handle opening night duties.

One special screening - Rumba from directors Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Remy - is planned. In addition, there will be an event screening of the FIPRESCI Revelation of the Year, Fernando Eimbcke's Lake Tahoe.

Of the seven competition titles, five are first films and thus eligible for the Camera d'Or.

Feature films in Competition

Christophe Van Rompaey - Moscow, Belgium (Belgium)

Emily Atef - The Stranger In Me (Germany)

Duane Hopkins - Better Things (UK)

Pablo Fendrik - Blood Appears (Argentina-France-Germany)

Aida Begic - Snow (Bosnia-Herzegovina-Germany-France)

Anna Novion - Grown Ups (France-Sweden)

Valeria Gaia Germanica - Everybody Dies But Me (Russia)

Opening film

Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz - Seven Days (Israel-France)

Closing film

Rodrigo Pla - The Desert Within (Mexico)

Special screening

Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy - Rumba (Belgium-France)

Event screening

Fernando Eimbcke - Lake Tahoe (Mexico)

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