Festival honours dead actress

Trintignant's boyfriend is in custody over her death

The Montreal World Film Festival is honouring the late French film actress Marie Trintignant this year.

The festival, which starts at the end of August, will close with the film Les Marins Perdus. which starred Trintignant.

The French actress, 41, was killed while shooting a film in Lithuania earlier this month.

Her boyfriend, French pop star Bertrand Cantat, is in custody in connection with her death.

The festival will also honour the career of US director Martin Scorsese.

A festival spokesman said the tribute was natural for the director behind such films as Taxi Driver and Gangs of New York.

The Canadian event unveiled a programme based on art-house and fringe films on Tuesday.

The film festival's organisers refused to disclose which stars would be appearing at the event,

"Judge by the quality of the films. The names mean nothing," festival's president Serge Losique said at a press conference.

The festival begins on 27 August and runs until 7 September. A total of 439 movies from 68 countries will be shown, including 115 world premières.

Hayek film

One film highlighted at this year's festival will be 21 Grams, a film directed by Mexico's Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, the producer of the Oscar-nominated film Amores Perros.

The film The Maldonaldo Miracle, directed by Mexican-born Hollywood star Salma Hayek, will also be shown at the festival.

The French-Canadian film Gas Bar Blues, directed by Louis Belanger, starts the festival.

This year's jury is jointly headed by Swedish director Jan Troell and French-Polish director Andrzej Zulawski.

Last year the festival was led by five French films, including Speak To Me Of Love, directed by French star Sophie Marceau, as well as the recent, critically-acclaimed US film Igby Goes Down.