Photo: Locarno Film Festival 2010 / iMaffo, Flickr Creative Commons

The lineup has been announced for the 68^th edition of the Festival del Film Locarno, including world premieres for several Canadian films.

Anne Émond’s Les Êtres Chers makes its world premiere in the Concorso Cineasti del presente category. The film is produced by Metafilms and stars Maxim Gaudette. Also in the category is Igor Drljaca’s The Waiting Room, starring Jasmin Geljo and Masa Lizdek. The TimeLapse Pictures, Gearshift Films and Yn Films-produced feature – a recipient of Telefilm funding and shot in Toronto – is also making its world premiere.

And Guy Maddin’s The Forbidden Room continues its lengthy festival tour, appearing here in the Concorso internazionale program. The sidebar sees “two first films play alongside those of a group of directors who have gained an appreciative audience on the international festival circuit. As is now a Locarno tradition, the competition includes documentaries, personal films, more traditional fictions and those of hybrid genres.”

In the Piazza Grande category, the film Guibord s’en va-t-en guerre by Philippe Falardeau makes its world premiere.

In addition, Italy/Canada/Bosnia-Herzegovina copro Mij Brate – Mio Fratello screens as part of the Concorso Cineasti del presente competition. The Nazareno Manuel Nicoletti-written film stars Stefano Gabrini and makes its world premiere.

88:88, the debut feature from Manitoba’s Isiah Medina, is being featured in the Signs of Life sidebar. The film, also a world premiere, stars Myles Taylor and Erik Berg.

In the out-of-competition Histoire(s) du cinema category, China/U.S./Canada copro and The Painted Veil is also being showcased.

The festival takes place in the Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, and this year’s festival runs from Aug. 5 to 15.