Full lineup unveiled for 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival

The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled its full lineup as well as highlights of this year’s 33rd edition, to be held physically from Oct 31 to Nov 9. The announcement was made at an event Tuesday featuring appearances by globally acclaimed actor Koji Yakusho and Cannes award-winning directors Hirokazu Kore-Eda and Koji Fukada.

Yakusho emphasized that watching films in the theater will help revitalize the entire film industry.

Festival Director Takeo Hisamitsu then introduced TIFF’s selection committee members and the lineup of Tokyo Premiere 2020, a special section for the 33rd TIFF that goes beyond the boundaries of TIFF’s usual competitive sections. In the Tokyo Premiere 2020 section, 32 films, 25 of them world premieres, were selected from among 1,356 titles from 107 countries and regions, with 10 from Japan, 12 from Asian countries and regions, and 10 from other areas.

Fukada, the focus of this year’s Japan Now section, discussed how the pandemic made everyone so much more aware of the importance of culture.

The new Programming Advisor of the Japanese Animation section, Ryota Fujitsu, greeted the audience after the announcement of the section’s lineup, showcasing “Pokémon the Movie” and the "Super Sentai Series," which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year.

During the 10 days of the festival, physical screenings, stage appearances and Q&A sessions will be held, along with unique film-related events including online symposia featuring Asian filmmakers and online webinars featuring guests from around the world.

The festival will be held at Roppongi Hills, EX Theater Roppongi and other theaters in Tokyo.

Please click here to see full lineup.

© Japan Today