【Tokyo International Film Festival 2019】Only One Month Left Until the Event! Press Conference to Announce Full Lineup

PicsArt_09-30-03.59.48.jpg
From left: NAKASHIMA, YAMADA, TEZKA, ADACHI

한국어 日本語

Hiroyasu ANDO, Chairman, 32nd TIFF

A lot of people ask what a film festival should be. I believe it should be a place where people who love films can gather to watch all the films we've brought together, and to think about their lives. We have a great lineup this year.

For myself, I'm personally looking forward to Yamada's Tora-san, Wish You Were Here. I'm delighted that it's the Opening Film. Mr. Yamada made the first Tora-san film in 1962 and for many years, made a new film every 6 months. He has talked about shifting the gears in this first year of the Reiwa Era, and I also believe it's a good time to shift gears to a new direction.

Takeo HISAMATSU, Festival Director, 32nd TIFF

We are following the vision that we established for TIFF two years ago, and our three poles — to be expansive, empowering and enlightening — were the keys for the selection of the films. We willl have the Tokyo Olympics next year, which has drawn a lot of attention to Japan. So we've also decided to highlight Japan in this year's TIFF.

We are opening with Yoji Yamada's Tora-san, Wish You Were Here, and we also have a Gala screening of Masayuki Suo's Talking the Pictures. Japan Now will feature legendary filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi, and in the Classics section, we'll focus on legendary actress Machiko Kyo, who passed away earlier this year.

We've created a new section, Japanese Animation, to deepen and broaden our coverage of this form. Also we'll look at the VFX evolution in Japan and we're having a collaborative event featuring 5G technology. So Japanese films and culture will be highlighted, which I think will be significant for everyone.

Macoto TEZKA, Director, Tezuka's Barbara, Competition Section

All the films I've created recently have been shown in TIFF, but this is my first Competition selection, so I'm very excited. Among my father's works, this was a uniquely Osamu-like manga. I found that my father's story and my own sensitivity fused together really well. I'm grateful to Goro Inagaki and Fumi Nikaido. They really inhabited the characters with their entire physical and mental beings.

Shin ADACHI, Director, A 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, although I was a much worse husband than in the film. I didn't have to direct Asami Mizukawa much because I knew she was the best fit for the role. Before they came to the set, I invited them both to my home so they could see my house and my family.

I told Ms. Mizukawa to really torment her husband with all her might, and she did. But my wife is two times scarier than the way she appears onscreen. This married couple are independent strangers, but they show the most embarrassing parts of themselves to each other. There isn't just anger, there's also love.

Yoji YAMADA, Director, Tora-san, Wish You Were Here, Opening Film

I feel like I spent 50 years making this film. If I may say so, I'm very proud of this film. I saw the finished film and I was very moved by it. I don't think other directors have done this, spending 50 years on a series. I never switched the actors, they aged along with the films.

Akira Kurosawa always said that films are combination of cuts, and magic brings them together. Maybe I felt a little of that magic as well. If Kiyoshi Atsumi was here to see it, I think he might say, "Yamada-san, you did a good job."