Competition

When we watch a film, it is the actions of the characters up on the screen (who are people, just like us) which cause us to feel empathy, repulsion, and swings of emotion. The emotions that we feel are rendered more profound by the fact that the background to the actions of these people is tinged with an historical inevitability. Further to this, the more original the method of expression, the more the recollection of our emotional swings will transcend mere amusement or escapism and become etched in our mind and body in the form of the artistic impression that the film has created.

In short, there are three aspects that the 15 films in this year’s competition share that are marvelous to behold: a thorough-going reflection on the nature of human beings; the imprint of the current era; and the director’s individuality on full display as it sublimates this modernity into art.

The protagonists frantically struggle to escape from an extraordinary situation—or from a humdrum situation that refuses to become extraordinary. The dejection of a young Turkish girl smoldering in a suburban rest-stop, the tribulations of a Chinese woman who yearns to better herself but is consequently seen as a bad wife, and the struggles of a Danish cook who is on a ship that is hijacked—in each case the backdrop to the situation is probably significantly informed by trends in the global economy. Behind the misery of the little girl in America who is shunted back and forth between her divorced parents, and the bewilderment of the Korean boy when his mother (whom he had believed dead) suddenly appears, there lies without doubt the current trend towards dysfunction in the family.

This year’s competition is a celebration of the directors of these 15 films, who have presented themes and characters befitting the current times as of 2012, successfully integrated them into films with universal appeal so as to qualify for the final fifteen, and flawlessly demonstrated their own individual artistic prowess.

Programming Director The 25th TIFF Competition Section

Yoshi Yatabe

Special Screenings

The Special Screenings section provides an early opportunity to view hotly anticipated films that are about to be released. This year, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away , produced by James Cameron and directed by Andrew Adamson, will be screened to officially open the festival. This will be the world premiere of a work that breaks new ground in 3D cinema by incorporating typical programs by the world famous Cirque du Soleil. This year will also see the screening of the special opening film entitled Japan in a Day . This is a collection of video submissions filmed on March 11 of this year, which have been compiled into a single film. It is a significant film in that it conveys a message that should go out from Tokyo to the entire world—that Japan is well on the road to recovery. The official closing of the festival will be marked by a screening of Trouble with the Curve, starring Clint Eastwood. In this magnificent film, which is both meaningful and profound, a baseball scout in his twilight years takes his estranged daughter along with him on one last recruiting trip. In celebration of our 25th edition, we have attempted to choose a variety of different types of film. We hope that you will greatly enjoy this wide-ranging selection.

Programming Director The 25th TIFF Special Screenings Section

Nobushige Toshima

Winds of Asia-Middle East

For the sixth year running, the slogan for the Winds of Asia-Middle East section is “More widely than ever, stronger than ever!”. This year we have once again assembled a large collection of superb films from a vast area stretching from nearby East Asia to the far-off reaches of the Middle East and Central Asia. Which of them will claim the prize for the best Asian film? Asian filmmaking is currently displaying vigor and growth in boundless proportions. With the steady increase in the volume of films produced in Asia—especially in Korea, China, Taiwan, India, and Turkey—it is no longer unusual for Asian films to win prizes at the most renowned international film festivals. Against this dynamic backdrop, this year’s Winds of Asia-Middle East section will showcase a panorama of new works and will also include two special-feature programs that shed light on the past and present of Southeast Asian films: the first of these highlights the onward march of the Indonesian film industry, which has produced a procession of notable filmmakers and films, while the second lays bare the horror of Cambodia—an illusory fantasy that engulfed an entire generation in the 1960s. Please keep a look out for these segments. A book entitled “Asia Eiga no Mori—Shin Seiki no Eiga Chizu”, published in Japanese only; the title translated as “The Forest of Asian Cinema—a Guide to the New Era of Films” has been published by Sakuhinsha. It covers many Asian films—including some that have appeared in the Winds of Asia-Middle East section in previous years. Japanese readers will find that this book will greatly enhance their appreciation of the films in the Winds of Asia-Middle East section.

Programming Director The 25th TIFF Winds of Asia-Middle East Section

Kenji Ishizaka

Japanese Eyes

Cries of joy and a sense of giddiness marked the start of the selection of Japanese films for screening at this year’s festival, thanks to a significantly larger number of excellent candidates than in previous years.

Within the Japanese film industry as a whole, the dynamism of Japanese film production has been spectacular since the latter half of the 1990s. At the same time, many people probably feel deep down that Japanese cinema is becoming sharply polarized into major productions on the one hand and independent films on the other. Now that film is a digital medium and films can even be completely produced on a PC at home, it is expected that the independentfilm sector will grow even more.

The Japanese Eyes Section is intended to lend active support to these independent films, unearth individuals with unique talent, and popularize their work at home and abroad.

In this year’s program we will be screening many films that exude the joy of film production—including profound works by heavyweight directors in areas which they are uniquely equipped to handle, and fresh new works produced by young artists who have received extensive help. These include short films, medium-length films, and documentaries.

Please come and experience the joy of discovering independent Japanese film in Tokyo.

WORLD CINEMA

The WORLD CINEMA section features films that have been popular at international film festivals held this year – such as Rotterdam, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto. As a general rule, they are new titles by renowned directors for which the theatrical release in Japan were still undecided as of end of August, 2012. The collection of films is a mustsee for film lovers: award-winning films, a controversial film by a unique director and a documentary by a legendary director. This all adds up to a tidal wave of films from around the world in 2012—savor them to the full in real time in Tokyo.

natural TIFF supported by TOYOTA

This year’s natural TIFF section retains the central theme from previous years of “symbiosis with nature,” but also focuses more closely on the harsh reality of current environmental problems. In the five years since the natural TIFF section was established, the Earth’s natural environment has deteriorated even further, and the screen images underscore the fact that our environmental problems are becoming even more serious. We are faced with unremitting reality as the beautiful South Sea Islands submerge before our very eyes as a result of global warming and the worldwide waste problem threatens to significantly reduce the lifespan of the planet. Even as we contemplate our environmental problems, however, we still always wind up with a solid sense of the beauty of nature on Earth, the cultures that mankind has spawned, and the abundance of living creatures with which we co-exist. Time and again we are moved by the wonder of Italian shepherds living in harmony with animals and nature, or the beauty of the crystalclear tones of yodeling echoing in the Swiss mountains. For the sake of the wonders that our planet bestows on us, the Tokyo International Film Festival will be attempting to convey the following message through film: that we must face up squarely to our environmental problems and cherish the priceless cultures that the Earth and mankind have produced. At this critical turning point marked by the fifth edition of this section, we will be presenting eight powerful documentaries on the themes of nature, mankind, and environmental problems—each of them overflowing with a sense of love for this Earth.