Welcoming Japanese actress Chiaki Kuriyama as the Festival Muse, the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival opened on a beautiful autumn day after a typhoon. This year, a Green Carpet Ceremony on a weekday was added to the Festival’s event calendar with arrival of many film stars like Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Vicki Zhao and so on. French actor Mathieu Amalric managed to take a moment away from his busy shooting schedule to visit Japan. After the screening the film he starred, he had an autograph session which made audience very excited.
This year, TIFF aimed to place the utmost importance on the films and their contents. Following that theme, various much-discussed works by famous directors were arranged to be screened, and directors Sofia Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola, Giuseppe Tornatore and Abdellatif Kechiche attended the Festival.
Two sections went under name change to vividly register the uniqueness of TIFF. Winds of Asia-Middle East section became Asian Future section and Japanese Eyes section relaunched as Japanese Cinema Splash section aiming to discover and support young filmmakers from Asia and Japan. Based on this change, popular Asian films were brought in to World Focus section (previously called WORLD CINEMA) to be screened.
TIFFCOM has reached its 10th session this year and was the greatest success ever with more than 300 exhibitors, more than1,000 buyers and more than 20,000 visitors.
A joint effort made by TIFF and TIFCOM to further activate the film industry finally bore a fruit.

1. The Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (center）, leading actor Tom Hanks (2nd from left) from the Opening film CAPTAIN PHILLIPS and director Paul Greengrass on furthest to left. Also actor Koji Yakusho (2nd from right) with the Closing film The Kiyosu Conference and drector Koki Mitani on furthest to right appeared on the stage at the opening event. 2. Daughter and father directors, Sofia & Francis Ford Coppola appeared on the stage at the opening event. 3. Precure gathers around Shosuke Tanihara and Hitomi Nabatame for the Special Screenings DOKIDOKI! PRETTY CURE THE MOVIE Memories for the Future. 4. From the left, actors Masaki Okada, Masami Nagasawa and drector Takehiko Shinjo from the Special Screenings film Beyond the Memories. 5. Robert De Niro is charming to the fans and signs for those who gathered at the Special Screenings of Malavita. 6. Director Giuseppe Tornatore at the stage greeting of the Special Screenings film The Best Offer. 7. From the right, director Koji Fukada, actors Fumi Nikaido, Mayu Tsuruta, Taiga, Kanji Furutachi, Ena Koshino and Kiki Sugino who also served as Producer appeared at stage screening of Competition film Au revoir l' été. 8. The leading actor Mathieu Amalric of the Competition film Love is the Perfect Crime held an autograph session. 9. Director Dante Lam of the World Focus film Unbeatable. 10. Eugene Domingo who won an Award for Best Actress in the Competition film Barber's Tales.