Stephen Daldry's crowd pleaser Billy Elliott is to open the 28th Brussels International Film Festival, which is being held from January 18 to 27.

The ten-day festival will close with Elle Chouraqui's tale of war-torn former Yugoslavia, Harrison's Flowers, starring Andie McDowell. The competitive event offers a Euros 80,000 top prize - the Golden Iris for best European film - which was won last year by Benito Zambrano's directorial debut Alone (Solas).

Other films screening at Brussels include Nana Djordjadze's Summer Or 27 Missing Kisses; Silvio Soldini's Bread And Tulips; Belgian/French co-production Thomas In Love, directed by Pierre Paul Renders; Belgian film Vengeance, directed by Jan Hintjens; Laura Mana's Sexo Por Compasion; Peter Hans Moland's Aberdeen; Maria De Medeiros' Captains Of April; and Michael Kalesniko's How To Kill Your Neighbour's Dog.