Argentina's Mar del Plata Film Festival, one of the oldest and most important film events in Latin America, announced its lineup on Tuesday, November 10 at a press conference led by festival president José Martínez Saárez, artistic director Fernando M. Pena and government officials, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

Running Nov. 18-27 and featuring Pablo Larrain's Chilean Oscar bid Neruda as this edition's opening film, the only A class festival in Latin America confirmed its goal to become "the world's beacon for Latin American cinema," according to Alejandro Cacetta, head of the Argentine Film Institute.

Mar del Plata's extensive program will present more than 300 films, spread across its three main competitions — international, Latin American and Argentine thematic sections — and several focuses on international art house filmmakers such as Wang Bing (Bitter Money), Pierre Leon and Masao Adachi.

The fest's international guest list includes French auteur Olivier Assayas (Personal Shopper), who will present a retrospective of his work; legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now, Last Tango in Paris); and American film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, who will head the international competition's jury.

The festival also will present the second edition of its regional industry sidebar, LoboLab, which joins a selection of young producers and directors with film professionals from Europe and Latin America.