(Photos are published courtesy of the Tokyo International Film Festival)

THE SHOWCASE OF FILMS IN COMPETITION AT THE TOKYO FESTIVAL IS ATTENTIVE TO EUROPEAN PRODUCTIONS

 

In the section Competition, They were selected 14 films including 1.804 headlines 115 countries and regions. Representing the two Japanese titles in this main competitive section, director Shin ADACHI by A Beloved Wife and the director Macoto TEZKA author of Barbara on Tezuka, they were greeted with cheers on stage.

The jury members for this year's international competition were also announced. L’attrice ZHANG Ziyi (China) President of the jury, together with producer Bill GERBER (USA), to actor and producer Julie GAYET (France), to director Michael NOER (Denmark), and al registers Ryuichi HIROKI (Japan).

Acclaimed screenwriter and screenwriter Kazuki NAKASHIMA, co-writer of Promare, one of the films in the Japanese Animation section, greeted the audience after the announcement of the section's lineup. He will appear at TIFF talk sessions with special guests following his related screenings, Promare and the Ultra Q series.

The guests of the Festival commented thus:

–Yoji YAMADA, director, Tora-san, Wish You Were Here, Movie Opening

I feel like I'm past it 50 years making this film. If I may say so, I'm very proud of this film. I saw the finished film and was very moved by it. Some people have asked me if I used CG to recreate Tora-san. We have remastered the prints of 40 O 50 years ago and they look exactly like a new print. This is the beauty of digital. During the modification, until the end of the process, I guessed second and third. But it was fun and I really enjoyed the editing. I don't think other directors have done that, passing 50 years in a series. I never changed the actors, they grew old together with the films. When I was writing the screenplay and directing, there were a lot of things I didn't understand until the editing process. Akira Kurosawa always said that films are a combination of cuts and that magic unites them. Maybe I felt some of that magic too. If Kiyoshi Atsumi was here to see it, I think he might say: “Yamada-san, you did a good job”.

-Macoto Tezka, Director, Barbara on Tezuka, Competition section

All the films I have created recently have been screened in TIFF, but this is my first selection of the competition, so I'm very excited. Among my father's works, it was a unique manga like Osamu. I found that my father's story and my sensibilities merged really well. [Because the story is controversial] I offered the roles of the two protagonists to different actors, but many were reluctant to take them on. So I'm grateful to Goro Inagaki and Fumi Nikaido. They really inhabited the characters with their entire physical and mental beings.

–Kazuki NAKASHIMA, screenwriter, Promare, Japanese animation section

Promare has been launched in theaters 4 months ago, but it's still incredibly popular, thanks to crazy and devoted fans. I'm so happy that it will be shown in this international film festival, so everyone can have fun attending the screening, screaming and cheering along with the characters in the film. While the animation looks very simple, it isn't. Respect the past, but uses the latest technology. I also made a script for the Ultraman Max series and with 4K projection, we will be able to see everything up close. I am honored that my work will be screened.

–Shin ADACHI, director, Beloved Wife, competition section

I was happy to be selected, but I was also surprised. It's only my second film and, since it's a comedy, I wasn't sure if it could be a competition film. The role played by Gaku Hamada is me, essentially, even though I was a much worse husband than in the movie. I didn't have to direct Asami Mizukawa much because I knew she was best for the role. Before they arrived on set, I invited them both to my house so they could see my house and family. I told Mrs. Mizukawa to really torment her husband with all her might, and he did. But my wife is twice as scary as she appears on screen. This married couple are independent strangers, but they show the most embarrassing parts of themselves. It's not just anger, there is also love.

–Hiroyasu ANDO, President 32 ° TIFF

I am honored to be the inaugural president of TIFF this year. Many people ask what a film festival should be. I think it should be a place where people who love movies can come together to watch all the movies we've put together and think about their lives. We have a great lineup this year. As far as I'm concerned, I can't wait to meet Yamada's Tora-san, Wish You Were Here. I'm glad it's the opening film. Mr. Yamada made the first Tora-san film in 1962 and for many years he made a new film every 6 months. He talked about changing gears in this first year of the Reiwa era, and I also believe it's a good time to shift gears in a new direction.

–Takeo HISAMATSU, Festival Director, 32 ° TIFF

We are following the vision we established for TIFF two years ago, and our three poles – be expansive, empowering and enlightening – they were the keys to the selection of films. The enthronement ceremony of the new emperor will be held next month, and guests will come to Japan from all over the world. We also have the Tokyo Olympics next year, which attracted a lot of attention to Japan. So we also decided to highlight Japan in this year's TIFF. We're opening with Tora-san by Yoji Yamada, Wish You Were Here, and we also have a gala screening of Masayuki Suo's Talay the Pictures. Japan Now will feature legendary director Nobuhiko Obayashi and, in the Classics section, we will focus on the legendary actress Machiko Kyo, passed away earlier this year. We have created a new section, Japanese animation, to deepen and broaden our coverage of this module. We will also see the VFX evolution in Japan and are organizing a collaborative event with 5G technology. Then Japanese films and culture will be highlighted, which I think will be meaningful to everyone.

–Yoshi YATABE, director of programming for the international competition and Japanese cinema Splash

This year there are three key words: after several unsuccessful movie releases with different titles, stimulating and fun. We believe that everyone and 14 and film, almost all debut films or supporting films, they will stimulate the audience in these three ways. The stories include a story of a war photographer, a veteran wounded by war, a young woman confronting her family's fundamentalist religion, a man struggling with physical disabilities and the police fighting drug cartels. We have two Japanese films in competition, a unique fantasy adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's work (Barbara on Tezuka) and a fantasy comedy based on the director's life (A Beloved Wife). This year's Japanese Cinema Splash section is very exciting, with many young directors making their first films. We also have two documentaries from veteran filmmakers Tatsuya Mori and Kazuo Hara, so it will be interesting to see these veterans together with emerging directors.

Film in COMPETITION at the 32nd TIFF

Advantages of Travelling by Train Aritz Moreno IP Spain/France

Atlantis Valentyn Vasyanovych AP Ukraine

A Beloved Wife Shin Adachi WP Japan

Chaogtu with Sarula Wang Rui WP China

Disco Jorunn Myklebust Syversen Ap Norway

Food for a Funeral Reis Celik WP Turkey

Just 6.5 Saeed Roustaee AP Iran

La Llorona Jayro Bustamante AP Guatemala/France

Mañanita Paul Soriano WP The Philippines

Nevia Nunzia De Stefano AP Italy

Only the Animals Dominik Moll AP France

Tezuka's Barbara Macoto Tezka WP Japan/UK/Germany

Towards the Battle Aurelien Vernhes-Lermusiaux WP France/Colombia

Uncle Frelle Petersen WP Denmark

And now we list the films out of competition with obviously a massive presence of Japanese but also American films.

Special Screenings

-Opening Tora-san, Wish You Were Here Yoji Yamada Japan

-The Picse

-Opening Eve The 47 Rōnin in Debt Yoshihiro Nakamura Japan

Blinded by the Light Gurinder Chadha UK

Earthquake Bird Wash Westmoreland USA

Ford v Ferrari James Mangold USA

Greta Neil Jordan Ireland/USA

He Won’t Kill, She Won’t Die Keiichi Kobayashi Japan

Horse Thieves Lisa Takeba, Yerlan Nurmukhambetov Japan/Kazakhstan

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Dean DeBlois USA

Human Lost Fuminori Kizaki Japan

I Was a Secret Bitch Koichiro Miki Japan

In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World Sunao Katabuchi Japan

THE IRISHMAN Martin Scorsese USA

Jojo Rabbit Taika Waititi USA

Marriage Story Noah Baumbach USA/UK

No Smoking Taketoshi Sado Japan

One Night Kazuya Shiraishi Japan

Wings Over Everest Yu Fay China/Japan