The countdown is on to this year's Brisbane International Film Festival, with tickets on sale from today for the opening and closing night movies.

Arts Minister Rachel Nolan has revealed the opening night film on Thursday 3 November will be Attack the Block and the festival will close on Saturday 12 November with The Skin I Live In.

"The festival starts with one of the year's most exciting movies - Attack the Block starring English comedian Nick Frost and a bunch of teenagers defending South London, and the world, from aliens," Ms Nolan said.  "This spirited science fiction film is directed by Joe Cornish (co-writer of the upcoming film The Adventures Of Tintin), and is one of those films that immediately becomes an audience favourite.  "Closing the festival 10 days later is the Australian premiere of the latest film from Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar - The Skin I Live In.

 "Starring Antonio Banderas, The Skin I Live In premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival to great acclaim, and comes to Brisbane directly off the back of its Spanish release.  "It has been described as 'a combination of dark thriller, gothic horror story and poetic myth' and 'Almodovar at his daring, provocative and allusive best'".

In between opening and closing nights there will be more than 100 films from around the world on offer, including the Australian premiere of Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon. Ms Nolan said this film documented the Kings of Leon members' upbringing in Nashville, and coincided with the band's Brisbane tour date on Tuesday 8 November at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

 Ms Nolan said 2011 is a big year for BIFF, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversary.

"It's timely to reflect on how much Brisbane has changed in 20 years - in 1991 when BIFF started there was no Gallery of Modern Art and South Bank was still a year away from being opened," she said.  "Today Brisbane has been transformed into an arts and culture hotspot of the Asia-Pacific region, due in large part to events like BIFF and the government's commitment to modernise Queensland's capital city."

BIFF runs from 3 to 13 November 2011 at Tribal Theatre, the State Library, the Palace Barracks and Palace Centro cinemas.

Tickets on sale at www.biff.com.au

Media contact: Justine Scarff 0400 367 174