Montreal: Souvenirs intimes, the new Jean Beaudin feature, will compete in the official competition at this year’s 23rd edition of the Montreal World Film Festival, Aug. 27-Sept. 6.

Based on the Monique Proulx novel L’Homme invisible a la fenetre, and coscripted by Proulx and the director, the film tells the moving story of a handicapped painter and his entourage and stars James Hyndman, Pascale Bussieres, Louise Portal, Yves Jacques and Marcel Sabourin.

Beaudin won international praise for earlier features including Mario and J.A. Martin, photographe, but has not shot a feature movie since Being at Home With Claude, produced in 1992.

Souvenirs intimes was produced by Productions du Regard and will be distributed by Films Lions Gate.

wff president Serge Losique and vp Daniele Cauchard will unveil this year’s program at a press conference Aug. 10.

Meanwhile, the Montreal International Film, TV and Video Market, the market component of the wff, has announced the market will become the permanent commercial base in North America for mecla (Marche du cinema d’Amerique latine), representing commercial film industry interests throughout Latin America.

wff has programmed a significant Latin American film section annually since 1977.

mecla is one of several national export groups confirmed for this year’s market including Unifrance, anica of Italy, Export Union des Deutschen Films of Germany, China Film and the Spanish Film Institut.