The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce that internationally acclaimed German filmmaker, writer and photographer Wim Wenders will serve as the President of the International Competition jury at the 36th TIFF.
TIFF’s chairman Ando Hiroyasu expressed his delight that the renowned creator would be returning to TIFF for the first time in over a decade. (See further comments below.)
Wenders has received many global honors throughout his 55-year career, including the Golden Lion for The State of Things at the Venice Film Festival (1982); the Palme d’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival for Paris, Texas; and Best Director for Wings of Desire at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. He is also a three-time Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Feature, for Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Pina (2011) and The Salt of the Earth (2014).
He is also known to be well versed in Japan. Since watching Ozu Yasujiro’s film Tokyo Story, he has been fascinated with Ozu’s work, and created highly acclaimed documentary Tokyo-ga in 1985 as an homage to the classic master. His latest film, Perfect Days, was selected for the 76th Cannes Competition section. It stars Japanese actor Yakusho Koji, who won the Best Actor Award at Cannes, and profiles a series of high-end public toilets designed by leading architects in Shibuya, Tokyo. Wenders also held a Special Screening of his 3D documentary Anselm, a portrait of German artist Anselm Kiefer.
Wenders screened a film in TIFF’s first edition in 1985, with his Palme d’Or winner Paris, Texas appearing in the Festival of Festivals section. He joined us with his film Until the End of the World as the Closing Film in 1991 and then served as the TIFF Young Cinema Competition’s President of the Jury in 1993. He will now participate in TIFF for the first time in 12 years, since his film Pina was screened in the Special Screening section in 2011.
Furthermore, the 36th TIFF is delighted to announce that we will be highlighting the one of the most internationally celebrated Japanese filmmakers, Ozu Yasujiro. Commemorating the 120th anniversary of Ozu’s birth, it is a great pleasure to welcome Wim Wenders, an Ozu fan, to host this special feature. Look for a separate upcoming announcement about the specific films to be screened and related events.