The Tokyo International Film Festival has been growing bigger and bigger every year. This year, it’s only lasting for about a week from October 28 through November 5 but they’re jam-packing dozens and dozens of screening of films new and old. International does mean international so it’s not only a chance for Japanese audiences to watch subtitled films from other countries that might not see wide spread release there but generally Japanese also screen with English and Chinese subtitles giving foreigners in Tokyo a chance to see the newest and best of Japanese Cinema. Feature-length anime movies, classics, indie hits and more comprise this year’s slate.
There’s so many screening in this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival that you’re better off just scrolling through their official website for the full line-up. However, there are several aspects of this year’s festival worth highlighting; There’s an entire Ultraman retrospective which is appropriate with Hideaki Anno’s Shin Ultraman on the rise. A sub-selection of screenings called ‘The Evolution of Japanese Animation’ pairs the newest of films like Promare, Children Of The Sea, and the latest Yuasa with classics like the film version of Aim For The Ace and Akira. There are even selections from Japan’s biggest directors like Akira Kurosawa and Takashi Miike.
I was lucky enough to attend a Tokyo Internation Film Festival Screening a few years ago; Specifically, the English language dubbed premiere of Gantz: O. Held at an upscale theater in Roppongi, it was quite the nice event. Many countries include English subtitled screenings for their biggest movies on a regular basis but Japan, unfortunately, hasn’t quite taken up on this custom. It may be a non-Japanese speaker’s only chance to see a number of films, new, old, and animated with an accurate translation.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will be held from October 28 through November 5 this year.