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Friday, 21st October 2011
In Events In Japan,
Tokyo film festival kicks off this weekend
The red carpet is being rolled out in Tokyo this weekend for the 24th Tokyo International Film Festival.
Taking place over the next week, the event will see 1,000 films from 76 countries across the globe being showcased and a number of famous film stars heading to the capital city to support the prestigious event.
Big name films on show will include the swashbuckling The Three Musketeers and historical drama, 1911, with the films' stars Milla Jockovich and Jackie Chan turning out at the event,
The festival will close with a showing of Brad Pitt's Moneyball. It is hoped that by altering the focus slightly from art house films, the festival will attract a wider and younger audience.
However, this does not mean that it is only mainstream cinema being showcased. Other flicks on show include Detachment, which is getting its Asian premiere, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man and A Better Life.
Other highlights of the festival include a retrospective of the work of the late actress Kyoko Kagawa, including A Story From Chikamatsu.
This year's festival will also be about much more than simply cinema. It is hoped that the event will help show people it is safe to visit Tokyo after the earthquake in March this year and put the city firmly on the tourist map.
In a statement, organisers said: "We believe in the power of films to inspire people to pursue their dreams. In the hope that showing excellent films will contribute to Japan’s recovery from the March earthquake and tsunami, we will organise the relief efforts under the TIFF ARIGATO Project before and during the festival."
A day of screenings being held as part of the festival will take place in the north-eastern city of Sendai, an area which suffered considerable damage in the tsunami. A number of films shot after the disaster including Tokyo Drifter will also be shown.
Posted by Mark Smith
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