Tokyo Film Festival’s Full Lineup Is Long on China, Animation and Marcello Mastroianni

As a cinephile with a penchant for world cinema and a soft spot for Asian films, I am thrilled to see the Tokyo International Film Festival’s 37th edition boasting such an impressive lineup. With Chinese titles matching Japanese ones in the competition section, it promises to be a vibrant celebration of cinematic artistry from across the region.


For the 37th edition, the Tokyo International Film Festival has revealed a competitive segment featuring an equal number of Chinese and Japanese films.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the festival will feature a streamlined selection of 110 films, chosen from an impressive pool of 2,023 submissions. This lineup serves multiple purposes: it functions as a platform for discovery, as well as a showcase for Japanese cinema, and also presents a collection of the best international art house films from the past year.

The competition comprises 15 titles, featuring works such as “The Unseen Sister” by Mizi Z, “Big World” by Yang Lina, and “My Friend An Delie” by Dong Zijian from China. We also have entries by rising Hong Kong director Philip Yung titled “Papa” and Huang Xi’s “Daughter’s Daughter,” fresh off the Toronto film festival. The competition will echo with Chinese accents. Representing Japan are “She Taught Me Serendipity” by Ohku Akiko, “Teki Cometh” by Yoshida Daihachi, and “Lust in the Rain,” a joint production between Japan and Taiwan, directed by Katayama Shinzo.

Among the various films competing, I’ve got a trio of intriguing titles to share from different filmmakers: “The Englishman’s Papers” by Serggio Graciano of Portugal, “Bury Your Dead” by Marco Dutra hailing from Brazil, and “In His Own Image” by Thierry de Peretti, a French production. Each promises a unique cinematic journey that I can’t wait to embark on!

The Asian Future segment encompasses ten debut films from emerging artists. Among them are “Pavane for an Infant,” created by Malaysia’s Chong Keat Aun (known for “Snowfall in Summer”), “Sima’s Song,” produced by Afghanistan’s Roya Sadat, and “The Bora,” directed by Iran’s Mohammad Esmaeilie. Additionally, two other films seem to be in Chinese, but they are credited as productions from the U.S. These are “The Vessel’s Islw” by Wang Di, and “Three Castrated Goats” by Ye Xingyu.

The festival’s lineup for grand showcase features 13 prominent Asian and worldwide films. Among them are “Nightbitch,” directed by Marielle Heller, which premiered in Toronto, the action blockbuster “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” from Hong Kong, Guan Hu’s Cannes comedy-drama “Black Dog,” and “Spirit World,” directed by Eric Khoo and starring Catherine Deneuve, set in Japan.

The World Focus section, which consists of 27 titles, includes ten current films chosen worldwide, a retrospective of Arturo Ripstein’s work, a set of three pictures by Nanni Moretti, and a series of five films focusing on the Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni. (It was announced earlier that his daughter, Chiara Mastroianni, would be part of this year’s competition jury.) A last-minute inclusion is “The Room Next Door” directed by Pedro Almodóvar.

This year’s animation segment at the festival appears robust, boasting a diverse lineup. Highlights include: “Ghost Cat Anzu” by Kuno Yoko and Yamashita Nobuhiro, “The Wild Robot” by Chris Sanders, “Flow” by Gints Zilbalodis, and “Memoir of a Snail” by Adam Elliot – all of which have been making waves on the global festival circuit. The Japanese animation section offers exclusive premieres such as Yasuda Gensho’s “Make a Girl,” Shinnosuke Yakuwa’s “Toto Chan: The Movie The Little Girl at the Window,” and a 4K restoration of Masuda Toshio’s classic “Space Battleship Yamato” from 1977.

In this newly debuted Female Empowerment segment, we find nine captivating pieces: “IVO” authored by Eva Trobisch, “My Favourite Cake,” co-written by Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, as well as the world debut of “Doctor-X The Movie,” written by Tamura Naoki. Additionally, it features “Women Make Films – The Tokyo International Women’s Film Festival” directed by Kumagai Hiroko.

This TIFF series segment includes “The Dogs of Karma” by Shiraishi Koji, “The New Years” by Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Sandra Romero, and a piece about Jean-Luc Godard.

Previously, it was announced that the historical action film “11 Rebels” will be the main feature for the opening night of the festival. This event takes place from October 28th to November 6th in the district encompassing Hibiya, Yurakucho, Marunouchi, and Ginza.

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2024-09-25 10:16