This year's TIFF was held in Roppongi Hills as well as Bunkamura. On October 22, dubbed Opening Eve, Wong Kar-wai's 2046 was the featured screening. Takuya Kimura, who appeared in the film, paid a visit to the Roppongi Hills Arena. On opening day, a red carpet covered the Roppongi Keyakizaka Dori. The 17th TIFF was the highest-attended edition to that point.
Beginning this year, a new Japanese Eyes section was set up to show people in and outside Japan the wide variety and individuality of Japanese films being produced. In addition, TIFFCOM was established for the benefit of content business managers from Japan and overseas. Tokyo International Film and Contents Market 2004 and other forums provided opportunities for comprehensive entertainment businesses covering film, animation, games, and character content.
This year marked the establishment of the Akira Kurosawa Award given to filmmakers who made a significant contribution to world cinema. The award was designed to keep Kurosawa's legacy alive, symbolize the rebirth of distinctively Japanese forms of artistic expression, and contribute to the development of a wide range of global cinema activities. The award was presented this year to Steven Spielberg and Yoji Yamada.

1. Actor Tom Hanks attends the closing screening of The Terminal, in which he gave a fine performance as an eastern European with a shaky grasp of English. 2. Director Kazuyuki Izutsu (left) and cast members Shun Shioya, Erika Sawajiri, and Sosuke Takaoka take to the stage at a screening of We Shall Overcome Someday. Each of these actors, all newcomers at the time, have gone on to achieve fame and notoriety. 3. A floor graphic at the main venue, Roppongi Hills, that shared the same design as the festival poster. 4. Director Azuma Morisaki (third from left) strikes a pose amid cast members Mika Hijii, Yoshio Harada, and Mitsuko Baisho at a screening of Competition film Chicken is Barefoot. 5. Actor-director Stephen Chow greets the audience at the Asian premiere of Shaolin Soccer. 6. Director Jang Hyeon-su (left) with Korean megastars Choi Ji-woo and Lee Byung-hun at a screening of Everybody Has a Little Secret. 7. Director Kelly Conran (left), lead actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and producer Jon Avnet attend a screening of special invitation film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. 8. Actor Josh Hartnett, star of Wicker Park.