Some 100 films to screen at Tokyo International Film Fest
TOKYO: Back for the 31st time, the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) will screen more than 100 films, including some upcoming releases, from different countries.
The red carpet was rolled out in Roppongi on the first day of the festival Thursday, welcoming stars and filmmakers from across the globe, although there was a notable dearth of Hollywood stars, namely the two who star in the opening movie.
American singer Lady Gaga didn’t show up as had been rumoured to promote ‘A Star is Born’, and neither did her co-star and the film’s director, Bradley Cooper.
Perhaps the large Asian contingent was in part due to a particularly strong selection in the Crosscut Asia section, which this year focuses on films about music.
Indonesian director Garin Nugroho, who made one of those films, said he has been coming to TIFF since the early 1990s, making him a serious veteran of the festival. Another veteran, Hong Kong director Fruit Chan, is making his first appearance at TIFF in 17 years with the sex comedy ‘Three Husbands’, whose star, Chloe Maayan, towered over him in an elaborate mermaid-themed cocktail dress.
The most famous Western star on the red carpet was Ralph Fiennes, whose Rudolf Nureyev biopic, ‘The White Crow’, is showing in the Competition section. The section received 1,829 submissions from 109 countries and territories worldwide, a record number for the festival.
European cinema is particularly well represented in the World Focus section, which features new films by Louis Garrel, Olivier Assayas, Margarethe von Trotta and Paolo Sorrentino. Mexican provocateur Carlos Reygadas makes a return to TIFF with the film ‘Our Time’, and the Philippine enfant terrible Brillante Ma Mendoza is not only bringing a new movie — more precisely, a third of one, since it’s an omnibus — he is also the head of this year’s Competition jury.
The Japanese film contingent featured a strong female presence, with at least four filmmakers treading the red carpet and more than a dozen women representing ‘21st Century Girl’, an omnibus of short films in the Japanese Cinema Splash section.
A total of 16 works from around the world will compete for the festival’s top honour Tokyo Grand Prix.
The winner of the top honour will be announced at the closing ceremony based on the decision of an international jury.
Meanwhile, films will also compete for a number of other awards, including the Special Jury Prize, the Audience Award, the Best Asian Future Film Award in the Asian Future session established at the 26th TIFF.
The festival runs through Nov 3.