Louise Archambault’s coming-of-age tale Gabrielle is to compete at the Locarno Film Festival, it was announced Wednesday.

The latest film from Luc Déry and Kim McCraw at Montreal-based micro_scope about a mentally challenged young woman’s quest for independence and sexual freedom will vie with a world premiere in the main Piazza Grande competition.

Gabrielle stars Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Alexandre Landry, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Vincent-Guillaume Otis and Robert Charlebois.

Archambault’s first film Familia debuted at Locarno in 2005.

The European film festival also booked Claire Simon’s Gare du Nord, a Canada-France co-production about the Paris railway station, into its international competition lineup for the Pardo d’oro trophy.

Gare du Nord, from France 3 Cinema and Productions Thalie, is getting a world premiere in Locarno, and stars Nicole Garcia, Reda Kateb and Francois Damiens.

Also to screen in Locarno’s discovery sidebar Concorso Cineasti is Matt Johnson’s debut feature The Dirties, which stars Johnson, Owen Williams, Krista Madison and David Matheson, and comes from Xyz Films.

And Eduardo Menz’s Acrobat and Monia Chokri’s An Extraordinary Person will screen in the Concoro International sidebar for young filmmakers or students.

The Locarno Film Festival will run from August 7 to 17.

Image from Les Films Séville