Hailed as somewhat a return to form for Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" marks the "soft opening" of this year's Bangkok International Film Festival.

Unspooling at noon today, "Vicky Christina Barcelona" stars Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson as two American women travelling in Spain. There, they fall in love with a painter (Javier Bardem), but are unaware that his volatile ex-wife (Penelope Cruz) is still in the picture.

For the balance of the day, 15 films are playing in five cinemas. Among the highlights from the main competition is "Rumba" from Belgium, about a couple of school teachers who have a passion for Latin dancing. It's at 2.30. Another competition film is "Parking", by Taiwanese director Mong-Hong Chung. Showing at 4.45, it's about a poor guy who stops to buy his wife a cake and finds his vehicle trapped by a double-parked car.

From the Documentary Showcase, there's "Manufactured Landscapes", a fascinating look at such places as Chinese dumping grounds, Bangladeshi shipyards and manufacturing plants that stretch across and beyond the frame. It's showing at 4.15.

Tonight's program includes horror, with the German gay zombie comedy "Otto; or Up with Dead People" at 6.15, and a Thai examination of four different fears in "4bia" at 7.45.

The Bangkok International Film Festival is at SF World Cinema at CentralWorld. For tickets, call (02) 268 8888. For the schedule, see www.BangkokFilm.org.