The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival began its 10-day run on October 23 with a glamorous array of filmmakers, stars and soon-to-be stars gracing the Red Carpet ahead of the TIFF Opening Ceremony.
 
This year’s full-scale event began at Hibiya Step Square in Hibiya Midtown, as several hundred guests from Japan and overseas greeted a select audience before beginning their stroll along the 165-meter carpet and up the elegant staircase leading into the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater. Home to the famed all-female Takarazuka Revue musical troupe, the theater was built in the style of yesteryear’s grand movie houses, providing the perfect backdrop for TIFF’s Opening Ceremony.
 
Significantly expanding on past editions in innumerable ways, this year’s TIFF, running from October 23 – November 1 at venues in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area of Tokyo, will feature 219 screenings, Q&A sessions, symposia, master classes, TIFF Lounge talk sessions and an enormous array of events. Fifteen titles are competing for the Tokyo Grand Prix in the International Competition, drawn from 1,942 submissions from 114 countries and regions, up from last year’s 1,695 submissions.
 
The Red Carpet festivities got under way with brief stage appearances by 205 guests from across all nine sections of the festival, as well as from the TIFF juries. As they moved along the serpentine walk, they stopped repeatedly for multiple autographs and selfies with fans from far and wide, the first such event at TIFF since before the COVID epidemic.
 
Among the international luminaries making the stroll were Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou, who’s at the festival to screen his early-2023 hit Full River Red, as well as to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and to host a masterclass; and acclaimed Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, who will screen his Cannes Best Director Award-winning The Pot-Au-Feu, as well as conduct a masterclass, and brought along one of his stars, Benoit Magimel.
 

 
Among the many Japanese celebrities to appear were 36th TIFF Festival Navigator ANDO Momoko, accompanied by her father, actor OKUDA Eiji and fashion designer KOSHINO Junko, who dressed them both for this year’s TIFF poster image; prolific Japanese director YAMAZAKI Takashi, with his Godzilla Minus One stars KAMIKI Ryunosuke and HAMABE Minami. The festival’s Closing Film commemorates the 70th anniversary of the beloved monster. Also on hand was cult director MIIKE Takashi with his new film Lumberjack the Monster, in the Gala Selection, along with his stars KAMENASHI Kazuya and Nanao; auteur TSUKAMOTO Shinya, in the Gala Selection with the final title in his antiwar trilogy, Shadow of Fire, winner of the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the 80th Venice Film Festival, and actors MORIYAMA Mirai, KONO Hiroki and TSUKAO Oga; and the Korean director and Japanese cast of the Special Program film Knuckle Girl: director Chang and actors KUBOZUKA Yosuke, MAEDA Gouki and MIYOSHI Ayaka.
 
Competition section filmmakers and their stars were out in force, including Gondola director Veit Helmer and actor Nino Soselia from Germany/Georgia; Dwelling by the West Lake director Gu Xiaogang, who will also be receiving the Kurosawa Akira Award later in the festival, along with actors Wu Lei and Jiang Qinqin; A Long Shot director Gao Peng with actors Zu Feng and Zhou Zhengjie; A Foggy Paradise director KOTSUJI Yohei from Japan, with actors OKUTSU Yuya, LEE Masatoshi and other casts; Blind At Heart director Barbara Albert; director KISHI Yoshiyuki of (Ab)normal Desire, with stars INAGAKI Goro, ARAGAKI Yui, ISOMURA Hayato, SATO Kanta and HIGASHINO Ayaka; director Sheron Dayoc, actor Jansen Magpusao, producers Sonny Calvento, Arden Rod Condez, Bridget Ng-Ting and Kelvin Ting of The Gospel of the Beast from the Philippines; Sermon to the Birds director Hilal Baydarov from Azerbaijan; Who Were We? director TOMINA Tetsuya and producer HATANAKA Mina from Japan; and on hand for the final film from beloved Tibetan auteur Pema Tseden, Snow Leopard, actors Xiong Ziqi and Tseten Tashi, along with producers Zhou Hao, Wan Jun and Zhang Beipeng.
 
In the Asian Future section, Malaysia-Singapore coproduction La Luna was represented by director Raihan M. Halim. Director SHOJI Hiroshi of Tatsumi appeared with producer SUZUKI Noboru and actors ENDO Yuya, MORITA Kokoro, GOTO Takenori, SATO Goro and other casts; producer Itai Tamir came for the Israeli title Real Estate; Kazakhstan-Pakistan-India production Madina was represented by director Aizhan Kassymbek, producers Abid Aziz Merchant and Aruzhan Dossymkozha, and actor Madina Akylbekova; and Fly Me to the Moon director Sasha Chuk came from Hong Kong with actors Wu Kang-ren, Yoyo Tse, Angela Yuen, Natali Hsu, Wu Chien-ho and Chloe Hui.
 
From the Nippon Cinema Now section, this year’s Director in Focus, JOJO Hideo, appeared with fellow director YOSHIDA Yasuhiro, MATSUMOTO Yusaku and cast members from their remakes of OZU Yasujiro silent films being shown at the festival, including TANAKA Kei, MAEDA Atsuko, EMOTO Tasuku and ISOMURA Hayato; The Making of a Japanese director Ema Ryan Yamazaki and producer Eric Nyari appeared with four young members of their cast; Ichiko director TODA Akihiro came with actors SUGISAKI Hana and WAKABA Ryuya; and Family director SAWA Kan came with actors YOSHIZAWA Ryo and ABE Shinnosuke, and producers MATSUHASHI Shinzo and SUZUKI Daizo.
 
The members of the International Competition jury appeared last on the Red Carpet: Jury President Wim Wenders, Albert Serra, KUNIZANE Mizue, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc and Zhao Tao.
 
The Opening Ceremony, held inside the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater, began with a much-applauded performance by violinist KAWAI Ikuko and her Quintet, who played a medley of tunes from favorite films, beginning with the theme from Jaws and including SAKAMOTO Ryuichi’s music from The Last Emperor.
 
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NISHIMURA Yasutoshi then came on stage to deliver opening remarks. Offering his congratulations, he recalled, “When I was still a civil servant, about 35 years ago, I was once in charge of the film festival. In those days, several distinguished gentlemen from the film industry participated in the executive committee and I really wasn’t in a position to be among them. At the time, I would see over 100 films a year, all over Tokyo. Even today, my wife, my bodyguard and I try to find time to go to the theater as often as possible, eat a lot of popcorn and enjoy films. I see we’re facing a new era, with new streaming technology, which is expanding the possibilities of film. We believe that, through the Tokyo International Film Festival, Japanese and Asian talents will be able to expand their audiences. We’re expecting wonderful things from this year’s festival.”
 
Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio then appeared via video with a warm greeting and heartfelt congratulations, commenting, “Another fine selection of films has been assembled this year. The festival will be commemorating the 120th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Japanese filmmaker and world-famous creative pioneer Ozu Yasujiro. In addition, the famous and accomplished director Wim Wenders, who is a great fan of Ozu’s films, will be serving as Jury President.
Mr. Wenders directed Perfect Days, a film for which Yakusho Koji won an award for best actor at the Cannes Film Festival in May of this year, and his deep knowledge of Japan makes him well-suited for this role. I am overjoyed to see so many exciting film projects and events, along with filmmakers from around the globe gathering here in Tokyo for a film festival showcasing the wonder of Japanese culture and art in front of the rest of the world.”
 
The prime minister also noted, “In January, I sat down with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss support for filmmaking practices in both nations and we agreed to cooperate in film co-production.
As a result, both countries signed a Japan-Italy Film Co-production Agreement in June of this year. To celebrate the formation of this agreement, a special event for Italian film directors will be held at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
I sincerely hope this event serves as an opportunity for attendees to make connections and participate in lively discussions over the fascinating films and amidst this rich culture.”
 
Acclaimed Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou was then brought onstage, to wild applause, to receive the TIFF Lifetime Achievement Award. He received the trophy from Festival Chairman ANDO Hiroyasu to more applause. Expressing his gratitude to Ando and the festival, Zhang commented, “I received the Best Actor Award from TIFF some 36 years ago. After 18 years passed, I returned to serve as a jury member. Then another 18 years went by and now I’m here, standing on this stage, receiving this award. Time passes so quickly! In Chinese, this type of situation is called ‘circularity.’ Nothing really ends, this is the beginning. Thank you so much for this award, I’m very grateful. I will do my best to continue making high-quality films.”
 
36th TIFF Festival Navigator Momoko Ando, a director herself, then appeared on stage. Visibly excited, she noted enthusiastically that, “The festival has invited people from all over the world, they’re bringing wonderful films, and over the next 10 days, we will all share in their visions. Everything in film is evolving, from technology to distribution, but the thing that never changes is the core value of cinema. I think we’ll be shining a light on the future over these next 10 days, and I hope you’ll all have a great festival.”
———
 
Following a brief introduction to the festival’s lineup, including the special commemorative screenings and events honoring OZU Yasujiro’s 120th anniversary and the Kurosawa Akira Award, the jury members from the Asian Future section were introduced. The members of the International Competition jury, who will be selecting winners from among 15 films from around the world, were then called on stage. Jury President Wim Wenders, the famed filmmaker, writer and photographer, was flanked by his fellow jurors: Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra, Chinese actress and producer Zhao Tao, Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, and Japanese producer Kunizane Mizue.
 
Said Wenders, “Good evening. We, the ladies and gentlemen of the jury, will watch the 15 films in Competition with open hearts and minds, and make intelligent decisions. And we promise to start beating each other up only after the closing ceremony.” Appreciative laughter followed.
 
Wenders’ acclaimed film Perfect Days is the TIFF Opening Film, and it was briefly introduced before the director was joined on stage by legendary Japanese star YAKUSHO Koji, who won the Cannes Best Actor Award for his performance in the film, actors EMOTO Tokio, NAKANO Arisa, YAMADA Aoi, ASO Yumi, ISHIKAWA Sayuri, TANAKA Min and MIURA Tomokazu, producer YANAI Koji and producer-cowriter TAKASAKI Takuma. The film follows the life of a man who cleans public toilets in Tokyo, and derives pleasure from reading and taking photos of trees.
 
Commented Wenders: “A while ago, I had a dream. I was dreaming of making a film in Japan. I was dreaming I would make it with Koji Yakusho in the main role. I was dreaming it would also have Min Tanaka. I was dreaming that it would be produced by Koji Yanai. I was dreaming that I would take it to Cannes Film Festival and it would win the Best Actor Award. I didn’t dare dream that it would be the Japanese submission to the Oscars. But I did dream that it would be the Opening Film of the Tokyo International Film Festival. And then, I woke up. And here you are!”
 
Asked to make some remarks, Yakusho admitted, “I’m a little intimidated to speak after such a wonderful speech by Mr. Wenders. But I think the best thing is to watch a film without knowing anything about it. In Perfect Days, we have people who are blessed by life. There’s a great deal of scenery of Tokyo and we see life there. Wim Wenders has looked at it with his warm glance, capturing it with his camera as if it’s a documentary. But something exciting is going to happen. I hope you’ll enjoy the film.”
 
At the end of the ceremony, the official opening declaration was delivered by Festival Chairman Ando Hiroyasu, who expressed his pleasure with the enhancements made in this post-COVID year. “We have a 25 percent increase in the number of films in our lineup, many more events, and a dramatic increase in overseas guests, from 104 in 2022 to more than 2,000 this year, including those attending the TIFFCOM market. We had a beautiful blue sky for our opening day, and over 200 guests walked on the Red Carpet. We’re very grateful to the support we’ve received from the government, from our sponsors, theaters, media and the audience. I hope you will enjoy the next 10 days. I now pronounce the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival to be open.”
 
The Tokyo International Film Festival will be showcasing 219 films from around the world and other film-related events in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area from October 23 – November 1.