Terence Davies' The House Of Mirth will open the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival (October 5-18), with the UK writer-director in attendance.

The festival will also feature a UK Focus including titles such as Simon Cellan Jones' Some Voices, Peter Greenway's 8' Women, Stephen Daldry's Billy Elliot and Nick Hurran's Girls' Night. A Ken Loach retrospective will also take place, screening titles ranging from 1966 TV movie Cathy Come Home to his most recent feature Bread And Roses.

The festival has also announced the creation of the Prix UIP, voted for by the audience and presented by distributor UIP, for best European film. Titles from six different sections - the World Cinema Panel, UK Focus, Midnight Movies, Gay World, Film Document and Expectation - will be eligible for the award which comes with a cash prize of Euros15,000.

Previously announced highlights at the 14-day event include Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock and Lars von Trier's Dancer In The Dark (ScreenDaily, September 20).