This year's Rio International Film Festival, the largest of its kind in Latin America, has chosen China as its annual select of focus country, organizers of the event told Xinhua.

A total of 12 latest Chinese films and eight classic productions from the 1930s and the 1940s will be shown to the Rio audience at the festival, which will take place from September 20 to October 4.

Every year, organizers of the Rio festival will select a country to focus on. A number of movies from that country will be shown to the local audience.

"We have been working on this China Focus for the past three years. China is a very important country for Brazil in terms of international film co-productions." said the Programming Director of the event, Ilda Santiago, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

The first Chinese movie to be screened will be The Knot by director Yin Li, who is also expected to attend the festival, said Santiago.

Other Chinese movies also to be shown include Getting Home by Zhang Yang, The Postmodern Life of My Aunt by Ann Hui and Curse of the Golden Flower by Zhang Yimou.

Rio International Festival 2007 will feature a total of 300 films, which will be shown in tents and on the Copacabana Beach, apart from normal displaying at theaters.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2007)