PRESS RELEASE September 26, 2016 c 29th Tokyo International Film Festival Unveils Full Lineup The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) held a press conference to announce lineups in the all sections, jury members, and this year’s topics and highlights at Toranomon Hills Forum in Tokyo today. Yasushi SHIINA, Director General of TIFF & TIFFCOM, made opening remarks and announced that the festival muse for this year is Haru KUROKI, one of the most accomplished actresses in Japan. TIFF’s programing directors then took the stage to introduce the lineup for each section of the 29th edition, as well as to reiterate the prior announcements of the Opening film, Stephen Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins and the Closing film, Yoshitaka From left: Daigo MATSUI, Yu AOI, Munetaka AOKI, MORI’s Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow. and Mamoru HOSODA ©2016TIFF In the Competition section, 16 films were selected* from among 1,502 titles from 98 countries and regions. Representing the two Japanese titles in this main competitive section, director Daigo MATSUI and actress Yu AOI from Japanese Girls Never Die, and actor Munetaka AOKI from Snow Woman were welcomed on the stage and made remarks (see following page). *The full Competition section lineup is attached to this press release. Acclaimed director Mamoru HOSODA, who is being honored this year with “The World of Mamoru Hosoda” in the Animation Focus section, greeted the audience after the retrospective lineup was announced. He will appear for stage talks during TIFF with such special guests as director Hirokazu KORE-EDA and filmmaker Daisuke “Dice” TSUTSUMI. *The special guests for “The World of Mamoru Hosoda” are attached to this press release. Please refer to TIFF’s official website for the retrospective lineup. This year’s International Competition Jury members were also announced. French director/writer/producer Jean-Jacques BEINEIX will serve as President, working with director Hideyuki HIRAYAMA, actor Valerio MASTANDREA, producer Nicole ROCKLIN, and director Mabel CHEUNG. *More information on the Competition Jury is attached to this press release. Please refer to TIFF’s official website for jury members of other sections. During the 10-day celebration, more than 200 films will be screened and there will be unique film-related events every day at the festival venues, including stage appearances, Q&A sessions and symposia featuring celebrated guests from around the world. The 29th TIFF will take place October 25 to November 3, 2016 at Roppongi Hills, EX Theater Roppongi (Minato City) and other theaters, halls and facilities in Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Notes and Quotes from the Press Conference Daigo Matsui – director, Japanese Girls Never Die – Competition Section It is such a great honor to participate in the TIFF Competition section. Three years ago, I participated in the Japanese Splash section, and ever since then, I was really eager to come back. I especially hoped to be selected this year because my film is a rather disturbing story about suburban Japan, which I want to show in this urban center of Tokyo. The heroine of the film is actually missing, but she is gradually becoming more and more famous because her image is being spread everywhere. I think it has resonance for Japan today. For further information or inquiries, please contact: TIFF Promotion Group Tel: +81-3-6226-3012; Fax: +81-3-6226-3023; email: [email protected] Publicity materials are available at www.image.net/ Official Website: www.tiff-jp.net/en/ Yu AOI – star, Japanese Girls Never Die – Competition Section This is the first time that I’ll be participating at TIFF, and I have to say that the director, Daigo Matsui, was so nervous about whether or not his film would be selected, and that made me nervous, too. He was so eager to be part of TIFF that he declined offers from other festivals. So I’m really relieved that this film was selected for the Competition. I really liked the original novel, which was written by a woman, since it depicts both the strengths and weaknesses of women. I think that many females in the audience will identify with the characters and have a memorable experience. I hope you all enjoy the film. Munetaka AOKI – star, Snow Woman – Competition Section This film is based on the well-known fable “Snow Woman” by Lafcadio Hearn (Yakumo Koizumi), and I’m very pleased to be here today to represent it at TIFF. It has a classical feeling, as well as a more modern touch, which was very challenging to make. The director and star, Kiki Sugino, said that she wanted to create a reinterpretation of this story, and I think her power really shines through. Mamoru HOSODA – director – “The World of Mamoru Hosoda” in Animation Focus I’m a little bit embarrassed, because this is the first time that all my works have been shown in a retrospective. However, I am excited to watch these films together with an audience, and I hope that this experience will be good for my next work. In addition, I’m delighted that the films I created at Toei Animation will be screened in the theater in remastered versions. Animation tends to be thought of as a medium for children, but I have been trying to create something different. Pushing the limits of the form, I want to direct a new style of animated film. Speakers’ Notes and Quotes from the Press Conference Yasushi SHIINA, Director General, 29th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF & TIFFCOM) We must remember that the most important about a film festival is the films themselves. I hope that all those who love and admire cinema can gather in Tokyo to celebrate the creativity of all these filmmakers and their new work. Yoshi YATABE, Competition Programming Director We selected 16 titles for the Competition, and we were guided in our selection by three main goals: we wanted to present the most important titles of the fall season, we wanted to showcase the most unique directors, and we wanted to present a wide range of visions from around the world. We discovered that one of the themes in many of this year’s works is the immigrant experience, and I think we can all learn a lot through what happens to the characters in these films. Competition Lineup for the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival Listed by Title / Director / Premiere / Production country and region. *WP=World Premiere/ IP=International Premiere/ AP=Asian Premiere 7 Minutes Dir: Michele Placido IP/ Italy=France=Switzerland After You're Gone Dir: Anna Matison IP/ Russia Being Born Dir: Mohsen Abdolvahab IP/ Iran Big Big World Dir: Reha Erdem AP/ Turkey The Bloom of Yesterday Dir: Chris Kraus WP/ Germany=Austria Die Beautiful Dir: Jun Robles Lana WP/ The Philippines The Fixer Dir: Adrian Sitaru AP/ Romania=France Japanese Girls Never Die Dir: Daigo Matsui Japan Mr. No Problem Dir: Mei Feng WP/ China Dir: Mohamed Bourokba (Hamé) and Paris Prestige IP/ France Ekoué Labitey (Ekoué) Quit Staring at My Plate Dir: Hana Jušić AP/ Croatia=Denmark For further information or inquiries, please contact: TIFF Promotion Group Tel: +81-3-6226-3012; Fax: +81-3-6226-3023; email: [email protected] Publicity materials are available at www.image.net/ Official Website: www.tiff-jp.net/en/ Sami Blood Dir: Amanda Kernell AP/ Sweden=Denmark=Norway Shed Skin Papa Dir: Roy Szeto WP/ China=Hong Kong The Silence of the Sky Dir: Marco Dutra IP/ Brazil Snow Woman Dir: Kiki Sugino WP/ Japan Tramps Dir: Adam Leon AP/ USA Please visit http://www.image.net/tiff2016_competition_en to find all materials for Competition films. Full lineup for the 29th TIFF URL: http//2016.tiff-jp.net/en/ ★★★★★★★★IMPORTANT★★★★★★★★★ All press members who wish to cover the Tokyo International Film Festival are required to register for Press Pass. For all interviews and coverage, you are required to show your Press Pass or Technical Pass. The press members who have not yet registered for press passes, please contact Press Office immediately. Press Office E-mail: [email protected] 29th Tokyo International Film Festival Date: October 25 (Tue) – November 3 (Thu), 2016 Venues: Roppongi Hills, EX Theater Roppongi and other theaters in Tokyo Market: TIFFCOM 2016 (Japan Content Showcase 2016) October 25 (Tue) – 27 (Thu) For further information or inquiries, please contact: TIFF Promotion Group Tel: +81-3-6226-3012; Fax: +81-3-6226-3023; email: [email protected] Publicity materials are available at www.image.net/ Official Website: www.tiff-jp.net/en/ Members of the International Competition Jury President of Jury Jean-Jacques Beineix Director/Writer/Producer Born 1946 in Paris. Beineix studied medicine before entering the film industry. After working as assistant director for 12 years, he made his feature debut with DIVA, which was a worldwide success. Since then, he has directed many internationally successful films, such as Betty Blue (1986), Roselynne and the Lions (1989) and IP5: The Island of Pachyderms (1992, starring Yves Montand). He has directed a number of documentaries dealing with social issues. In 2013, a large exhibition featuring his creative cinema world, Studio Beineix, was held in Boulogne. As a multifaceted artist - film director, producer, writer, photographer, painter and musician, he takes risks, as he did for Roselyne and the Lions, entering a cage of wild beasts. His films and work are his image. He plays on synesthesia, music meeting colors and sensations, incorporating elements of real life and the memories of dream life. Jury Hideyuki Hirayama Director Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1950. Graduated from Nihon University College of Art. Worked on Hasegawa Kazuhiko’s 1976 film The Youth Killer as a crew member, and on a number of films as an assistant director, Hirayama made his directorial debut Maria's Stomach in 1990.