France's first-look fest for U.S. pix. (Deauville film fest: Gallic showcase unspools premiere screenings of American fare headed overseas).(Brief Article)

PARIS In a tradition dating back to 1975, established and freshly minted American talent will converge on the quaint Normandy resort town of Deauville from Aug. 30 to Sept. 8.

Festival programmer Jerome Laserre and Bruno Barde, who heads the cinema department at Le Public Systeme, a PR firm that administers the Deauville Festival of American Film, considered some 200 films before arriving at this year's feature selection.

"The only trend in this year's lineup is its diversity," notes Laserre. "We got some really good submissions at the last minute and we're showing a lot of first films."

In his third year on the job, Laserre believes Deauville enjoys an enviable profile Stateside. "I think we're now better known in the U.S. than we are in Europe."

Deauville's mission is to provide an …