PARIS -- A mixed bag of films from a diverse range of directors marks the competition lineup revealed Thursday for the International Critics Week sidebar at this year's Festival de Cannes.

Critics Week is the festival's oldest sidebar and features only a director's first or second film. New artistic director Jean-Christophe Berjon, who took over from Claire Clouzot in January, characterized this year's selection as "portraits of society."

"(Clouzot's) artistic direction was remarkable, so there's no question of departing from the Critics Week's editorial line of films that need to be defended, of human cinema that talks of mankind and society," Berjon said in an interview. "I was a little disappointed by the quality of films presented for selection this year, I wanted to get off the beaten track and not just settle for films with a festival profile, but it wasn't easy," added Berjon, who saw more than 400 films before making his selection.

The competition features seven films. "Grain in Ear," a Korean-Chinese co-production, is a chronicle of Korean exiles living in China by director Zhang Lu. Italian entry "L'Orizzonte Degli Eventi" (The Horizon of Events), from Daniele Vicari, tells the story of scientific research laboratory where results must be obtained at any price.

The sole American film in competition, "Me and You and Everyone We Know," is directed by Miranda July, who also plays herself in this portrait of a small community. Recent film school graduate Uchida Kenji represents Japan with "A Stranger of Mine," described as a "post-Tarantino romantic comedy-cum-episodic thriller."

"Orlando Vargas," classified as a Uruguay-France co-production, is Juan Pittaluga's formal study of the breakup of a family, while British filmmaker Thomas Clay's first feature, "The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael," tells the story of three adolescents in a small U.K. town.

The lineup is completed by "La Petite Jerusalem" (Little Jerusalem) by Karin Albou, a portrait of a woman in a Jewish family in the Paris suburbs that also examines the state of society. It was considered for both the official selection and Director's Fortnight before finding a home with Critics Week.

The sidebar kicks off May 12 with an out-of-competition screening of "Les Invisibles" (The Invisibles), the first feature from Thierry Jousse, former editor in chief of celebrated French film magazine Les Cahiers du Cinema. The film's star, Laurent Lucas, also stars in Dominik Moll's "Lemming," which opens the official selection.

Critics Week this year is reintroducing the tradition of a midnight screening with "L'Imposture" (The Fraud) by Frenchman Patrick Bouchitey. The selected documentary screening is "Los Heroes y el Tiempo" (Heroes and Time), from celebrated Mexican director Arturo Ripstein, which will be followed by a debate with Ripstein.

The sidebar also will include a day of homage to 50 years of African cinema with the screening of South African film "Drum," by Zola Maseko, and a special screening of "Giorgobistve" (Falling Leaves), the first film from Georgian filmmaker Otar Iosseliani, this year's Critics Week patron.

The sidebar closes May 20 with "Junebug," from American director Phil Morrison. The film paints a portrait of a small-town American family through the return of the eldest son and his girlfriend, exploring the contrasts of their modern life with his family home.

The list of Critics Week selections follows.

IN COMPETITION
"A Stranger of Mine" by Uchida Kenji (Japan)
"Grain in Ear" by Zhang Lu (China/Korea)
"L'Orizzonte Degli Eventi" (The Horizon of Events) by Daniele Vicari
"Me and You and Everyone We Know" by Miranda July (USA)
"Orlando Vargas" by Juan Pittaluga (Uruguay/France)
"La Petite Jerusalem" (Little Jerusalem) by Karin Albou (France)
"The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael" by Thomas Clay (UK)

SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION
"Le Grand Vent" (The Big Wind) by Valerie Lienardy (Belgium)
"Hu Xi" (Breathe) by Wi Ding Ho (Taiwan)
"Get the Rabbit Back" by Mitovski and Kalev (Bulgaria)
"Jona/Tomberry" by Rosto (The Netherlands)
"Mirror Mechanics" by Siegfried A. Fruhauf (Austria)
"Blue Tongue" by Justin Kurzel (Australia)

SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Opening film: "Les Invisibles" (The Invisibles) by Thierry Jousse (France)
Closing film: "Junebug" by Phil Morrison (USA)
Midnight screening: "L'Imposture" (The Fraud) by Patrick Bouchitey (France)
FIPRESCI revelation of the year: "Vento di Terra" (Earth Wind) by Vincenzo Marra (Italy)
Patron's day: "Giorgobistve" (Falling Leaves) by Otar Iosseliani (USSR)
50 years of African cinema: "Drum" by Zola Maseko (South Africa)

DOCUMENTARY
"Los Heroes y el Tiempo" (Heroes and Time) by Arturo Ripstein (Mexico)

MEDIUM-LENGTH FILMS PROGRAM
"Mille Soleils" (A Thousand Suns) by Mathieu Vadepied (France)
"Echos" by Michael Ramsauer (Austria)
"The Parasite" by Helen Ahlsson (Sweden)

SHORT FILMS PROGRAM

PRIX DE LA CRITIQUE 2004
"Playing Dead" by David Hunt (UK)
"Sous Mon Lit" (Under My Bed) by Jihane Chouaib (France)

CANAL PLUS COLLECTION
"600 Secondes Pour Refaire Le Monde" (600 Seconds to Make the World Again) by Etienne Labroue and Marc Bruckert (France)
"Belle, Enfin Possible" (Good, Well Possible) by Regis Roinsard (France)
"Hotel California" by Nigel Bennett (France)
"Le Temps Des Cerises" (Cherry Time) by Jean-Julien Chervier (France)
"Le Vigile" (The Guard) by Philippe Pollet-Villard (France)
"Les Petits Hommes Vieux" (The Little Old Men) by Yann Chayia (France)
"Sacre Sacrifice" (Sacred Sacrifice) by Philippe Lubliner (France)
"Un Journal Tele" (TV News) by Sylvie Couchon (France)
"Undo" by Jean-Gabriel Beriot (France)

JAMESON SHORT FILM AWARDS 2004
"Nenaliinoja Myytavana" (Handkerchiefs for Sale) by Jan Andersson (Finland)
"Undressing my Mother" by Ken Wadrop (Ireland)

EUROPE IN SHORTS X: FILMS FROM THE EAST
"Balkansa Ruleta" (Balkan Roulette) by Zdravko Barisic (Slovenia)
"Kapsapea" (Cabbage Head) by Riho Unt (Estonia)
"Gravitation Rezisors" by Dainis Klava (Latvia)
"On a Train" by Barnabas Toth (France)
"Schwimmen" by Martin Repka (Slovakia/Germany)
"Desimt Minuciu Pries Ikaro Skyrdi" (Ten Minutes before the Flight of Icarus) by Arunas Matelis (Lithuania)

AWARDS FOR THE 2ND FESTIVAL OF MORELIA
"De Raiz" by Carlos Carrera (Mexico)
"El Pasajero" (The Passenger) by Matias Meyer (Mexico)
"Tropico de Cancer" (Tropic of Cancer) by Eugenio Polgovsky (Mexico)

PROGRAM OF MUSIC VIDEOS
AIR "Electronic Performers" by Machine Molle (France)
SCRATCH MASSIVE "Seeing is Believing" by Thierry Poiraud (France)
KAKTUS HUNTERS "The Def Song" by Kaktus Hunters (France)
THE YOUNG GODS "Arcia" by Loopmatic (Switzerland)
ARTHUR H "La Legion Etrange" by Raphael Frydman (France)
STERIOGRAM "Walkie Talkie Man" by Michel Gondry (France)
PFADFINDEREI & MODESELEKTOR "Construction Desert" by Dalbin (France)
FUNKSTORUNG "Chopping Heads" by Keep Adding and Scott Pagano (USA)
MELLOW "Fantastic" by Patrick Volve, Arno and Caleb (France)
MAD ACTION "Smile" by Jonas Odell (Sweden)
MUM "Will the Summer Make Good For All of Our Sins" by Marc Craste (UK)
KID 606 "Sometimes" by Pleix (France)
PRUDENCE "A Tort Ou a Raison" by Joris Clerte and Phil Massonet (France)
LEMON JELLY "The Shouty Track" by Lemon Jelly (UK)
OCTET "Hey Bonus" by Camille Henrot (France)
UNKLE "Reign" by Daniel Askill (Australia)
IKARA COLT "Wanna be That Way" by Woof Wan-Bau (UK)
OMR "The Way We Have Chosen" by mAt&sPon (France)
YEAH YEAH YEAHS "Y-Control" by Spike Jonze (USA)