Tokyo International Film Festival, October 22-31

The 2015 Tokyo International Film Festival will feature more than 170 films, opening with Robert Zemeckis’ Philippe Petit biopic The Walk and closing with Tetsuo Shinohara’s Terminal.

Last year’s festival was criticized for the strangely nationalist flavor of its promotional posters, which touted Japan’s legacy as the birthplace of legendary filmmakers, and for being more of a venue to promote “Japan Cool” than to showcase new filmmaking talent. The Japan Cool promotion doesn’t seem to have changed–there are 22 Gundam films on the schedule and screenings of toy / pop idol vehicles like Go! Princess Pretty Cure the Movie and We Are Perfume. Still, audiences can look forward to multiple sections devoted to Japanese film, including a Shuji Terayama showcase and an evening of classic screenings that includes two restored films by Kon Ichikawa. Hideo Nakata is also back with Ghost Theater, which is playing alongside his 1996 film Don’t Look Up, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure, and Takashi Shimizu’s The Grudge at a “Masters of J-Horror” event.

More information and a full schedule can be found here. Tickets go on sale October 10th.

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