A TOTAL of 143 films from 49 countries, plus an array of special events, art installations and forums have been announced in the line-up for next month's BigPond Adelaide Film Festival.

The 40-page colour program, free in Review in Friday's Advertiser , was officially launched at Palace Cinemas yesterday.

The 11-day festival, from February 19 to March 1, includes 22 world premieres and 62 Australian premieres. Cinemas, drive-ins, parks and even planetariums will play host to screenings.

"It's a genuinely global event providing a real snapshot of what's going in art, culture, politics and society from all corners of the world," festival director Katrina Sedgwick said.

The red carpet will be running hot with stars and directors including Hugo Weaving, Natalie Imbruglia, Matt Day, Peter O'Brien, Bryan Brown, Miranda Otto, Aden Young, Bruce Beresford, Peta Wilson and Tahyna Tozzi. Veteran producer Jan Chapman (The Piano, Lantana ) will be honoured with the Don Dunstan Award.

The world premiere of Sarah Watt's comedy drama My Year Without Sex opens the festival at a gala event at Her Majesty's Theatre.

It's the follow up to her AFI award-winning Look Both Ways and stars Sacha Horler, Matt Day and young Adelaide actors Portia Bradley and Jonathan Segat.

Stefan Elliot's Easy Virtue makes its Australian premiere on closing night. Elliot is the director of The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and his new film, set in the jazz age and starring Jessica Biel and Colin Firth, promises to be wicked good fun.

Thirteen films will compete for the $25,000 first prize in the Natuzzi competition.

They include My Year Without Sex , the Bulgarian absurdist film noir Zift , Adelaide filmmaker Granaz Moussavi's My Tehran For Sale and Neapolitan mafia tale, Gomorrah. Port Augusta residents can watch Last Ride - which was filmed in the area - with Hugo Weaving on February 28.

A series of visual art symposiums and debates have been included in the Art and the Moving Image program.

Another intriguing program is called The Dome Project, in the city and at the Mawson Lakes Planetarium, which features the very best films designed and created to be projected on to domes.