MUMBAI: The 2010 Taipei International Film Festival opened yesterday with its focus on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 152 films from about 30 countries will be shown during the festival.

Twelve films have been nominated for the International Young Director Award which carries a prize of 600,000 Taiwan dollars (19,000 US dollars). The winners will be announced on 2 July.

Launched in 1998, the festival picks one foreign city as its theme each year. This year‘s focus on the Brazilian capital.

Sais Jane Yu, the festival‘s press officer, "Some 30 Brazilian films will be screened during the festival. Brazilian film Elite Squad, winner of the Golden Bear prize at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival will open the film."

About 24 foreign directors and actors have come to attend the festival. Among them are Aluizio Abranches, director of Brazilian film From Beginning to End and lead actor of Bye Bye Brazil, Jose Wilker.