This past weekend a resurgent Tokyo International Film Festival gave its top award to a Brazilian film, with a jury led by Bryan Singer selecting “Nise – The Heart of Madness” by Roberto Berliner for the Tokyo Grand Prix prize.The event was well received by critics and audiences, a turn-around from recent years for Japan’s largest film event, which since starting out in 1985 has endured such embarrassment as the 1995 edition, in which the jury declared the selection so bad that they refused to award any film.Recently a new heart logo was revealed in 2013 that has since been dropped, and only last year, director Takeshi Kitano took to the stage to receive an award, only to attack the local media and the monopoly of film producers for overseeing the industry “going to ruins.”The 2013 edition though, had seen a new local approach in which the event would focus on elements Japan does best, and yet was still powerful enough to bring in Hollywood royalty to its opening. Tokyo International Film Festival then now finds itself in strong position, glamorous enough to be held at the modern Roppongi Hills and bring in big stars, but small enough to be accessible to films fans. Here are our five reasons why it suddenly seems like the world’s best film fes.1 It’s Coming Up FastSince it began in 1996, the most significant film festival in Asia has been Busan in Korea, founded by Kim Dong-Ho. But recently with the Korean culture boom plateauing, it has lost some of its luster. So while Hong Kong and Shanghai have yet to establish themselves as the key player, and while Kyoto’s film festival is focusing on the history of cinema, Tokyo has the chance to make a claim for Asia on the world stage.This year its new focus on forward-thinking films included the world premiere of “Sayonara,” by Koji Fukada, the first movie to co-star an actual android, as it communicates with a dying human. As Japan turns to robots in many aspects of mainstream society, it may not be long before one is on the jury…2 The GuestsCertain actors have warmed to Japan over the years, finding the local dedication and loyalty of their fans endearing, whilst also leanring that it’s one country where they can walk the streets without being bothered by locals or by paparazzi.Perhaps this is partly why TIFF seems to come up trumps for celebrity draws. Sofia Coppola and Tom Hanks were on hand in 2013, 2014 saw it capture a big world premiere with Disney’s “Big Hero 6,” and this year a stellar jury was led by Bryan Singer, with Vietnamese born French film director Tran Anh Hung lining up alongside Norwegian director Bent Hamer and Hong Kong producer Nansun Shi.3 Focus on AnimeFew country’s can boast a monopoly on an entire film genre of their own, but with anime, Japan has an industry almost all to itself. Last year TIFF decided it was time to recognize this and shine the spotlight on some of the country’s best creators, starting with Hideaki Anno.This year the focus was on “Mobile Suit Gundam,” with a first ever major screening at a film festival of works from a specific single series, 35 years after the Yoshiyuki Tomino created series began.4 The LocationTokyo isn’t as skyscraper-laden as visitors might expect (the city is earthquake-zone central), but perhaps its most impressive is the Roppongi Hills “Urban Centre,” a 54-story glass and steel structure built by Mori Building at a cost of US$4 billion. It’s home to Goldman Sachs, Ferrari and Google, as well as the Mori Art Museum.Not the typical film festival locale then, but it does make for a super convenient experience. This year some 63,738 people agreed, coming to see 207 screenings at its cinema (with a few also held in other major hubs of the city too).5 It’s Getting it RightWithout naming names, TIFF has winners have not always gone on to much success. (Certainly not in the aformentioned 1995 edition!). But in 2013 the Tokyo Grand Prix went to Swedish director’s “We Are The Best!,” which also screened at Toronto’s TIFF and went on to hold a new perfect score (97%) on Rotten Tomatoes.“Heaven Knows What” by Ben and Joshua Safdie took the Tokyo Grand Prix last year, receiving similar praise from world critics with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and this year, high hopes remain that the win for Roberto Berliner’s “Nise – The Heart of Madness” will continue a trend of worthy and respected winners.
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