At the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, we will introduce the famous lineup discovered by two of Asia’s biggest stars. Fan binging for Chongkit Aung’s “Mother Bumi” and Peter Ho Sanchan’s “She doesn’t have a name.”
The competition title, “Mother Bumi,” marks the impressive reinvention of Fan Bumiving. Funbimbing plays a widow village woman who navigates farm work during the day and employs witchcraft to protect the community. The world premiere drama watches her confront the truth behind her husband’s death.
The famous gala was Peter Ho Seung Chan’s “She Doesn’t Have a Name,” previously played Cannes, Shanghai and Toronto. The wonders of Ray Jains and Zhang Ziyi star as a Shanghai housewife accused of murdering her husband’s co in the 1940s. The film revisits one of China’s most infamous unresolved cases.
Tiff had previously reviewed the opening, centerpieces and closing films, all by Marquee Directors. Yoshino Sayuri, who leads the cast, will hold a festival, featuring Sakamoto junji’s “Life for Life Climbing,” Everest pioneer Junko Tabei. The centerpiece slot is reserved for veteran Yamada Yoji’s “Tokyo Taxi.” The edition will be closed by Oscar-winning Chloe Zao’s “Hamnet,” headed by Jesse Buckley and Paul Mezcal.
The competition section will blend new voices and seasoned authures. Nakagawa Ryutaro closes the trilogy with “The Echo of Motherhood,” and Amos Gitai announces the hybrid documentary fiction, “The Golem of Pompeii.” Hailey Gates’ “Atropia,” produced by Luca Guadagnino, satirically views the US war training grounds, while Hungarian provocateur György Pálfi delivers “Hen,” a Greek f-talk. The titles also include Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis’s “Heads or Tails?” and Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir’s epic “Palestine 36.” Cambodian master Lissy Pan returns with “We Are Fruits of the Forest,” a documentary filming in the North Highlands community over four years.
Nippon Films shines a spotlight on the current landscape of Japanese filmmaking today. This year’s lineup includes Nishino Paradise on Turuuka, White Flowers and Fruits by Sakamoto, Their Traces by Kobayashi Kiyoshi, and Yang Liping’s Japan-China co-produced by “Orient’s Echo” and Akio Fujimoto’s Martinejor Project.
Tiff’s Asian Future Platform will feature films from emerging regional filmmakers, including Roh Young-Wan’s Korean adult drama “Halo,” Michael Kam’s Singapore’s “The Old Man and His Car,” Park Young-Jae’s sports-themed “Tomorrow’s Min-Jae,” and Kangdrun’s Tibetan feat “Linka Linka.” The Gala Selection features global auers such as Aria Star with “Eddington” and Korean genre dishes such as Limdaehee’s “Holy Night: Demon Hunter.” World Focus brings a wide range of international expansions, including Alejandro Amenabal’s “Prisoner”, Michel Franco’s “Dream” and Vivienne QU’s “Girl on Wire.”
The 11th run from October 28th. 5. The festival will be screened at a venue in central Tokyo. These include Cinemas Hibiya, Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho and Marnuchi Piccadilly.
38th Tokyo International Film Festival lineup:
Main competition
“Atropia” (us, Haley Gates)
“Blonde” (Japan, Sakashita Yumi)
“Motherhood Echo” (Nakagawa Ryutaro, Japan)
“The Golem of Pompeii” (France, Amos Gitay)
“Head or tail?” (Italy/Us, Alessio Rigo de Ligui, Matteo Zoppis)
“Hen” (Greece/Germany/Hungary, György Pálfi)
“Maria Vitoria” (Mario Patrocinio, Portugal)
“Morte Kuchina” (Penek Ratanarun, Thailand)
“Mother” (Belgium/Northern Macedonia, Theona Struger Mitewska)
“Mother Bumi” (Marlaysia, Chong Keat Aung)
“Mother Tung” (Chang Lu, China)
“Palestine 36” (Palestine/UK/France/Denmark, Annemarie Jasil)
“Sermon to the Blank” (Azerbaijan/Mexico/Türkiye, Giral Beidarov)
“Take-off” (China, Penfei)
“We are the fruits of the forest” (Cambodia/France, Lissypan)
Choice of Gala
“Climbing for mountain climbing” (Sakamoto junji, Japan) – Opening film
“Hamnet” (ChloéZhao, UK) – Closed film
“Tokyo Taxi” (Yoji Yamada, Japan) – Centerpiece
“Blue Boy Trial” (Japan, Limb Residence)
“Take him to portable size” (Japan/France/China, Nakano Tatsuta)
“I can’t cry with your face” (Sakashita Kiyoshima, Japan)
“Eddington” (We, Ali Astor)
“Holy Night: The Devil’s Hunter” (Rimdaehee, Korea)
“The Love of Trials” (Japan, Fukuda Han)
“Night Flower” (Japan, Uchiha eiji)
“One last throw” (Japan, Akiyama jun)
“Rental Family” (US/Japan, Hikari)
“She has no name” (Peter Ho Seung Chan, China)
“Silat” (France/Spain, Oliver Luxe)
“The Son of Neon Knight” (China/Hong Kong, Junomak)
“Springsteen: Save me from nowhere” (us, Scott Cooper)
The future of Asia
“A Journey to Taishi” (Iwako Waterfront, Japan)
“Chatting Box” (Kawako Ken, Japan)
“Far in the East” (Iran/Austria, Arash Annessy)
“The Best Funeral Hit” (Jiya Demirel, Turkey)
“Halo” (Roh Young-Wan, Korea)
“Kiroiko” (Japan, Imaimika)
“Linkar Linka” (Kangdarun, China)
“Daughter of Noah” (Amirza Jalarian, Iran)
“Number 23” (China, XiaHao)
“The Old Man and His Car” (Michael Cam, Singapore)
“Tomorrow’s Min-Jae” (Park Young Jae, Korea)
Nippon Cinema Now
“Nishino Paradise” (Japan, Prince Keiko)
“White flowers and fruits” (Sakamoto Nobuyama, Japan)
“With their traces” (Ogawa Kobayashi, Japan)
“Orient’s Echo” (Yanlip, Japan)
“All Green” (Takahashi Koyama, Japan)
“Pokapon” (Japan, ohtsuka shin-ichi)
“Time Limit” (Japan, Elizabeth Miyaji)
“Harawatan (Lost Land)” (Japan/France/Malaysia/Germany, Fujimoto akio)
Women’s empowerment
“100 Sunset” (Kunsankiron, Canada)
“About Me” (Japan, Nomoto Kozue)
“Cinema Jazireh” (Türkiye/Bulgaria/Romania, Gözde Kural)
“Happy birthday” (Sarago, Egypt)
“I’m Nevenka” (Spain/Italy, Icíar Bollaín)
“Sato and Sato” (Amano Yo, Japan)
“People like me” (Hong Kong, Tam Witching)
The focus of the world
“Wire Girl” (Vivian QU, China)
“Spider Woman Kiss” (U. Bill Condon)
“Kopitiam Days” (Singapore, Yeo Siew Hua, Shoki Lin, M. RihanHalim, Tan Siyou, Don Aravind, Ong Kuo Sin))
“Le Lac” (Fabris Alanho, Switzerland)
“Mazelan” (Portuguese/Spain/France/Philippines/Taiwan, lav diaz)
“The Nest of the Mares” (Ben Rivers, UK/France/Canada)
“The Mastermind” (We, Kelly Reihardt)
“Tunnel: Sun in the Dark” (Vietnam, Bui Thak Chu Yen)
“Power of War” (Spain/Italy, Alejandro Amenabal)
“Dream” (Mexico/Us, Michel Franco)
“Matador” (Pedro Almodovar, Spain)
“Waves” (Chile, Sebastian Lelio)
“April” (Taiwan, Freddie Tan)
“The embarrassment of the crown” (Taiwan, Zhang Chunyu)
“Double happiness” (Taiwan, Joseph Chen Chie Suu)
“The Waves Carry Us” (Lau Keck Hatt, Taiwan)
“Kika” (Belgium/France, Alexe Pukin)
“Vitrival – the most beautiful village in the world” (Belgium, Noel Bastin, Baptist Bogart)
“The Black God, the White Devil” (Glauber Rocha, Brazil)
“The evil dragon against the holy warrior” (Glauber Rocha, Brazil)
“Central Station” (Walter Sales, Brazil)
“The White House” (Brazil, Luciano Vidigar)
“Blue Trail” (Brazil/Mexico/Netherlands/Chile, Gabriel Mascaro)
“Milton Bitska Nascimento” (Flavia Moraes, Brazil)
