FILM FESTIVAL-TOKYO Annual Tokyo International Film Festival begins with red carpet and ceremony

Record ID: 135308

  • Title: FILM FESTIVAL-TOKYO Annual Tokyo International Film Festival begins with red carpet and ceremony
  • Date: 22nd October 2015
  • Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF GRAND JURY, BRYAN SINGER, SPEAKING OPENING FILM "THE WALK" BEING INTRODUCED ON SCREEN DIRECTOR OF "THE WALK", ROBERT ZEMECKIS (LEFT), AND PRODUCER, JACK RAPKE (RIGHT), ON STAGE ZEMECKIS AND RAPKE LEAVING STAGE
  • Embargoed: 6th November 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8KYYH4PPJQW1LTA1CXK2I7UPW
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The 28th annual Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off this year on Thursday (October 22) with an opening ceremony and appearances by dozens of movie stars walking down a red carpet, laid out in the upmarket shopping district in downtown Tokyo.
    Celebrities who walked down the red carpet included Hollywood stars Hilary Swank and Helen Mirren, as fans yelled their names and took photos.
    "It's been a wonderful career so far. I feel like I'm only now just kind of entering into my second act though. It's wonderful to be back here in Tokyo. It's such a beautiful city, and I love the people, culture, the food, so it's nice to be part of the Tokyo film festival," Swank told Japanese media on the red carpet.
    Asian stars including Brillante Mendoza, a Filipino film director known for "Captive", and the Lu Liping, a Chinese actress who became famous for her role in "The Old Well", which won the Grand Prix prize at the second Tokyo International Film Festival. Japanese actor Joe Odagiri, actress Keiko Kitagawa also walked the red carpet.
    "I think I am very lucky to come here. Because after the director (of 'The Old Well') Wu Tianming passed away, I was very busy and I didn't have a chance to mourn for him. So this time I have to be here for him!" Liping told Reuters in an interview on the red carpet.
    Bryan Singer, an American television and film director, known for directing the "The Usual Suspects", and "X-Men: Days of Future Past", made an appearance as a member of the festival's jury.
    "Back to the Future" trilogy director Robert Zemeckis also made a special appearance during the opening ceremony, as his new film "The Walk" featuring "Inception" star Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the opening film of TIFF this year.
    The festival will run at two different locations in Tokyo from October 22 to October 31. Sixteen films will vie in the main competition section for the festival's prize Tokyo Grand Prix. Titles include "Born To Be Blue" and horror film "The Inerasable." A total of 205 films will be shown at TIFF this year, with 31 movies premiering world wide.
    Special events such as Tokyo Cinema Cuisine and Cinema Music Jam will also be held in accordance with the film festival. New film categories were created for this year's TIFF, such as "Masters of J-Horror," which will feature Japanese horror films, and "Japan Now," a selection of amateur films directed by up and coming film makers who have become popular within the last year. Another new film selection this year called the "Japanese Cinema Classics" will feature classic Japanese movies, including "Ran," a film directed by Akira Kurosawa.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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