Hot Topics:

'Perdita' in San Sebastian lineup

Mann ups Davy to sr. VP, head buyer

Strand eyeing 'Dogs' for stroll around U.S.

'New Moon' takes opening day record(5343 views)

'New Moon' breaks box office records(1596 views)

'Avatar' toys with augmented reality(971 views)

Spielberg, King team on 'Dome'(641 views)

Animated short films get on short list(586 views)

MADRID --- The 45th San Sebastian Film Festival has announced its full Official Section lineup, as well as the Sept. 25 world premiere of one of the most eagerly awaited Spanish films of the year, Alex de la Iglesia's "Perdita Durango" starring Rosie Perez.

Many titles already announced for this year's competition were by filmmakers who are established either as directors --- Claude Chabrol with "Rien ne va plus" and John Sayles' Spanish-lingo "Men With Guns" (Hombres armados) --- or screenwriters (William Nicholson with "Firelight").

But fest director Diego Galan also has chosen lesser-known helmers for the 16-pic official competition: Paddy Breathnach's "I Went Down," admired at the recent Edinburgh Fest; "J'irai au paradis, car l'enfer c'est ici," by France's Xavier Durringer; the German-French co-production "Obsession," helmed by Peter Sehr; Lavinia Currier's "Simoon: A Passion in the Desert" (U.S.); and Andreas Gruber's "Die Schuld der Liebe," an Austrian-Swiss film.

The 45th San Sebastian Fest opens Sept. 18 with "My Best Friend's Wedding" and closes Sept. 27 with the European preem of David Fincher's "The Game."

Tex-Mex road movie

"Perdita" is described by those who have seen rushes as a wild Tex-Mex road movie, and the local industry buzz had been that the pic would not be ready for the festival.

But it has been speeded through post-production in Madrid, and will now play Sept. 25 on a megascreen at San Sebastian's Velodrome in what looks like one of the standout events of the fest.