The Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival has lived up to expectations to deliver a strong and diverse lineup of films for its 49th edition, with titles from Cannes debutants like Sean Baker, Geremy Jasper and Rungano Nyoni as well as projects from fest veterans such as Claire Denis, Abel Ferrara, Philippe Garrel and Amos Gitai.

The section, which runs parallel to Cannes’ Official Selection, was announced Thursday and will see Tangerine director Baker touch down with his newest and anticipated pic The Florida Project, starring Willem Dafoe. The film tells the story of a group of young kids whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder while their parents and the adults around them struggle with hard times.

French director Denis will open the section with her comedy Un Beau Soleil Interieur, starring Juliette Binoche and Gérard Depardieu. The film, adapted from Roland Barthes’ A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments, and deconstructs the language of love, is Denis’ first time at Cannes since her 2013 title Bastards.

Sundance Film Festival

Sundance breakout hit Patti Cake$, from director Geremy Jasper, will close the section, while Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milot’s action thriller Bushwick, which imagines a second U.S. civil war and also world premiered in Park City in January, will play in the section.

The much-buzzed about Brit title I Am Not A Witch, the debut feature from Welsh-Zambian filmmaker Nyoni, revolves around a 9-year old girl, Shula, who is accused of witchcraft and sees the UK back in the selection this year.

Ferrara’s Alive In France, a documentary that follows the filmmaker and his band as they tour across France, will see the director return to the festival after an unofficial screening of his film Welcome To New York in 2014. Meanwhile, Garrel, who last opened Directors’ Fortnight two years ago with his title L’Ombre Des Femmes, is returning with L’Amant D’Un Jour, a story about a twentysomething woman who returns home after a breakup to discover her father is seeing someone her age.

Israeli director Gitai, who has been nominated for the Palme d’Or four times, will be back on the Croisette for his feature West Of The Jordan River (Field Diary Revisted), while Chloe Zhao’s The Rider, about a young cowboy who searches for a new identity after suffering a near-fatal head injury, is also in the lineup.

In total, there are 19 features and 10 short films featured in this year’s selection. Five of these are from first-time directors. There are five French titles, five American and three Italian. Seven are from female directors.

Directors’ Fortnight, which has been under the artistic directorship of Edouard Waintrop since 2012, does not have a jury but prizes are awarded from various associations including the international critics’ FIPRESCI prize, Art Cinema Award, SACD Prize, Europa Cinemas Label and illy Prize. All first time filmmakers featured in Cannes competition categories are eligible to win the Camera d’Or.

FEATURE FILMS

Un Beau Soleil Interieur, dir. Claire Denis – Opening Night Film

A Ciambra, dir. Jonas Carpignano

Alive in France, dir. Abel Ferrara

L’Amant D’Un Jour, dir. Philippe Garrel

Bushwick, dir. Cary Murnion & Jonathan Milott

Cuori Puri, dir. Roberto De Paolis*

The Florida Project, dir. Sean Baker

Frost, dir. Sharunas Bartas

I Am Not A Witch, dir. Rungano Nyoni*

Jeannette, L’Enfance De Jeanne D’Arc, dir Bruno Dumont

L’Intrusa, dir. Leonardo Di Costanzo

La Defensa Del Dragon, dir Natalia Santa*

Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak, dir. Mouly Surya

Mobile Homes, dir. Vladimir de Fontenay

Nothingwood, dir. Sonia Kronlund*

Otez-Moi D’Un Doute, dir. Carine Tardieu

The Rider, dir. Chloe Zhao

West of the Jordan River (Field Diary Revisted), dir Amos Gitai

Patti Cake$, dir. Geremy Jasper* — Closing Night Film

*Denotes first film, eligible for the Camera d’Or

SHORT FILMS

Aua Mole, dir. Laura Goncalves & Alexandra Ramires

La Bouche, dir. Camilo Restrepo

Copa-Loca, dir. Christus Massalas

Creme De Menthe, dir. David Philippe Gagne & Jean-Marc E. Roy

Farpoes, Baliios, dir. Marta Mateus

Min Bord, dir. Niki Lindroth von Bahr

Nada, dir. Gabriel Martins

Retour A Genoa City, dir. Benoit Grimalt

Tijuana Tales, dir. Jean-Charles Hue

Tresnje (Cherries), dir Dubravka Turic