The full programme for this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival was unveiled today in a well attended press conference in Roppongi Hills. The organisers had already announced the opening and closing films, Paul Greengrass’ “based on real events” action thriller, Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks and Koki Mitani’s period comedy, The Kiyosu Conference. Today’s press conference introduced us to the “festival muse,” Chiaki Kuriyama (Shikoku, Battle Royale, Kill Bill Vol 1), as well as the full programme for the festival
The main competition section of the programme will feature fifteen films, with a strong focus on Asian cinema, with Chinese director Chen Kaige. There will be world premieres for Ning Ying’s To Live And Die in Ordos (China), Benham Behzadi’s Bending The Rules (Iran), Lee Ju-hyoung’s Red Family (South Korea) and Jun Robles Lana’s Barber’s Tales (The Philippines) as well as two Japanese films, Au revoir l’ été by Koji Fukada and Disregarded People by Hideo Sakaki.
I’m also particularly looking forward to the Asian premieres of The Double (UK) by Richard Ayoade, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska, Drinking Buddies (USA) by Joe Swanberg and an intriguing looking Icelandic film, Of Horses and Men, from Benedikt Erlingsson.
The Asian Future programme is an exciting new addition to the festival, showcasing eight up and coming directors who have released their first or second feature film. The works being screened include a world premiere for Ravi Kumar’s Bhopal based environmental drama, A Prayer For Rain, starring Martin Sheen and Mischa Barton, Mikhail Red’s Philippine New Wave thriller, Rekorder and Juno Mak’s homage to 80′s Chinese Vampire films, Rigor Mortis (Hong Kong).
There are also Special Screening and World Focus programmes that will feature quite a few important films that have not yet played in Japan, several world premieres for new Japanese films, the complete Paradise Trilogy by Ulrich Seidi and a programme of new Taiwanese films along with a Japanese Cinema Splash programme with eight recent Japanese independent films.
Part of the Tokyo International Film Festival’s goals include expanding the appeal of cinema to younger audiences. To this end it’s interesting that three of the Japanese films featured in the programme are animae productions (DokiDoki Pretty Cure, Patema Inverted and Bayonetta). One of the featured events is a retrospective for the 50th anniversary of the much loved TV action character, Ultraman. And, there is big event for the launch of the PS3 game, Beyond: Two Souls, with star Ellen Page to be in attendance.
Overall it looks like a great programme and with all the events held in one centralised location, the festival is sure to have a good atmosphere. The Tokyo International Film Festival will be on from October 17-25.
