RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- For the next two weeks, tens of thousands of Cariocas, as Rio residents are called, will be participating in what has become one of the city's main events.

It is not Carnival, nor gorgeous beach lounging, but movie viewing.

As of Friday, movie-goers will pack the 25 theaters screening over 300 films from 64 countries during the eighth edition of the Rio International Film Festival, Latin America's largest film festival, which will last until Oct. 5.

There will also be outdoor sessions on Copacabana Beach, as well as other free-admission screenings at the so-called cultural tents, a project sponsored by Rio de Janeiro's state government aimed at bringing cultural events to Rio's poorest neighborhoods.

Booths with home video and DVD equipment will provide movie viewers with an opportunity to check the recent productions of Brazil and other countries.

The festival opened on Thursday with a red-carpet ceremony at the landmark Odeon Theater, in downtown Rio, with Brian De Palma's "The Black Dahlia" as the premiere movie.

Further highlights include Latin American premieres of recent world film festival winners, such as Cannes Festival prizewinners Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" and Pedro Almodovar's "Volver."

Every year, festival organizers choose one country's film production as focal point. Thirteen Canadian pictures, such as Marc Evans' "Snow Cake," will hold their Brazilian premieres during this year's event.

Among the parallel events that comprise the festival, New Images of Iran will exhibit a selection of Iranian movies showing glimpses of the Middle Eastern country that differ from what is commonly viewed by the West.

As usual, the Rio International Film Festival will pay homage to a director with significant contribution to the history of film.

A retrospective of features by Luchino Visconti, founder of Italy's neo-realism, will serve as a tribute to the legendary filmmaker. British actress Charlotte Rampling, who starred one of Visconti's most controversial films, "The Damned", of 1969, will be in Rio for the event.

A competition among Brazilian fiction and documentary films will also take place.

The country's film production has witnessed significant development since the mid-1990s, when the government implemented a federal tax incentive system.

This move partly helped some local features gain international recognition, such as Walter Salles' "Central Station" (1998) and Fernando Meirelles' "City of God" (2002), both nominated to the Academy Awards.

The star-studded gala will draw the participation of Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, whose latest film "Babel," starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Bernal, will hold its Brazil's premiere.

U.S. film star Matt Dillon will show up at the festival for his participation in "Once In A Lifetime," for which he provides the narration.

Ten-year-old actress Abigail Breslin will come for the screening of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival's audience award winner "Little Miss Sunshine." Special appearances by French star Irene Jacob and one of Almodovar's favorite Spanish actresses Carmen Maura are also scheduled.

Additionally, 130 local and international film executives will take part in business seminars Rioseminars & Rioscreenings. Enditem