The 35th Tokyo International Film Festival opened Monday with stars walking the red carpet for the first time since the pandemic started.
About 130 celebrities posed for photographs amid applause from fans in front of the main venue of the festival, the Tokyo Midtown Hibiya commercial complex in Chiyoda Ward.
Among the stars was Kazunari Ninomiya, the lead actor in Takahisa Zeze's "Fragments of the Last Will," the opening film making its world premiere. Ninomiya, a member of the boy band Arashi, received his big acting break with a key role in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning 2006 film "Letters from Iwo Jima."
"As a member of the film industry, I have been looking forward to the opening of the festival," Ninomiya said. "I think with the variety of films being shown, people can enjoy encountering all kinds of things."
The opening ceremony was held at the lush Tokyo Takarazuka Theater next door for the first time. Former Takarazuka Revue stars sang a tune from their musical based on the film "Ocean's Eleven" to set the mood.
The president of this year's International Competition Jury is Julie Taymor, the American theater and film director known for bringing the "The Lion King" to the stage. Fifteen films, including three from Japan, will compete for the Tokyo Grand Prix in the International Competition.
The film festival runs through Nov. 2, with 169 films screening in the Ginza, Hibiya, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho districts.
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