The 36th French Cinepanorama will be held from Dec. 7 to 16, the Alliance Francaise of Hong Kong said Monday.

The French Cinepanorama, a film festival first launched in 1953, introduces to Hong Kong audience new French films.

The 36th French Cinepanorama will offer 23 latest and hottest French movies, which have been classified into three categories: New Films 2007, Reels Discovery and Focus on French Film Noir.

'Passion Blows Up', the theme of the film festival this year, throws the focus on the human passions for the cinema, life, romance and other aspects.

To Each His Own Cinema, the opening film of the 36th French Cinepanorama, was produced for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Festival this year, by 32 most distinguished directors from worldwide, including Wong Kar-Wai of Hong Kong, Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige of the Chinese mainland, Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Tsai Ming-liang of Taiwan, Takeshi Kitario of Japan, Roman Polanski of Poland and French directors Claude Lelouch, Olivier Assayas and Raymond Depardon.

Cannes 2007 award-winning film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, based on the memoir of former editor-in-chief of French fashion magazine 'ELLE' Jean-Dominique Bauby, is chosen as one of the Gala Premiere movies in the film festival.

Other selections include science fiction movie Chrysalis, typical French romance Twice Upon A Time, and Don't Touch the Axe by famous New Wave director Jacques Rivette.