Bahman Ghobadi's TurtlesCan Fly has been set as the opening film at the massively expanded Mar DelPlata festival (10-20 March).

The festival has risen from160 films last year to 320 to celebrate its 20th edition. In addition to themain competition there are 14 sections and five tributes dedicated toArgentina's cinematic greats, as well asthe new Mercosur film market - being held for the first time.

"We need this to be thefestival that delivers Latin American films to the outside and international filmsto local Argentinian audiences," said Miguel Pereira, film director andfestival president.

"FIAPF has helped us greatlyby relaxing the rules and allowing each festival in our category to determineits own rules. They have effectively given us a 'trial period'."

Films in competitioninclude: Joaquin Oristrell's Inconscientes, Patricia Ferreira's SoYou Don't Forget Me (Para Que No Me Olvides), Pirjo Honkasalo's TheThree Rooms Of Melancholy, Yasmine Kassari's The Sleeping Child,Frederic Fontayne's Gilles' Wife, Ismael Ferroukhi's Le Grand Voyage,Dylan Kidd's PS, Shinya Tsukamoto's Vital, Lukas Moodysson's AHole In My Heart, Lucia Murat's Almost Brothers, Robin Campillo's TheyCame Back, Gotz Spielmann's Antares, Mohsen Amiryouseffi's BitterDream, Ryu Jan-ha's Springtime, Volker Schloendorff's The NinthDay, Eduardo Raspo's Tatuado and Olivier Hirschbiegel's Downfall.