270 films to be shown at Tokyo Int'l Film Festival

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TOKYO, Sept. 16 Kyodo -
About 270 films from around the world, including screening of footage from the
science fiction adventure movie ''Avatar'' by ''Titanic'' director James
Cameron, will be shown during the 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival next
month, organizers said Wednesday.
Of the total, 15 selected from 743 entries from 81 countries and territories
have been entered in the main competition section for the Tokyo Sakura Grand
Prix, Special Jury Prize and other awards in the Oct. 17-25 event.
The winners will be selected by an international jury headed by Mexican-born
director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, winner of the best director award for his
film ''Babel'' at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2006, and announced
on the final day.
Among the 15 works in the main competition are Japanese film ''Acacia''
directed by Jinsei Tsuji and starring former pro-wrestler and lawmaker Antonio
Inoki in his first leading role, Polish crime drama ''The Dark Horse'' and
''Heaven Eternal, Earth Everlasting,'' a Chinese film about an orphaned girl's
coming of age.
At a press conference to announce this year's lineup, Inoki, who plays a former
pro wrestler who befriends a lonely boy in ''Acacia,'' yelled out one of his
trademark phrases, ''Genki desuka?!'' (Are you fine?!), before saying that
despite his anxieties, he ''just took one step forward'' and had a ''very good
experience in my life.''
Actress Yoshino Kimura, the film festival ambassador, and model and actress
Anne, the event's green ambassador and daughter of actor Ken Watanabe,
expressed hope for the success of this year's event. Both also served in their
respective posts last year.
The organizers said they will continue to promote the theme of ecology and use
a green carpet made from recycled plastic bottles at the opening ceremony,
instead of the traditional red carpet, for a second straight year.
This year's festival will open with the world premiere of ''Oceans,'' a film
about the rarely seen marine world by nature documentary maestro Jacques
Perrin, and close with ''Up,'' Disney/Pixar's three-dimensional animation
comedy adventure film.
Tatsumi Yoda, the event's chairman, said the film festival has reversed its
earlier decision not to screen U.S. film ''The Cove,'' an investigative
documentary about dolphin hunting in Japan, due to high interest from overseas
but did not elaborate the reason for the move.
The films will be shown at main venues in Roppongi Hills in Minato Ward and
other locations in Tokyo, and green energy will be used for all screenings,
according to the organizers.
==Kyodo
2009-09-16 22:45:17