16th Tokyo International Film FestivalNovember1-9,2003

A red carpet covered the street in front of Bunkamura on the first day and many fans gathered to watch their favorite guests make their way to the festival.

The event was officially opened by four Qurio robots developed by Sony. For the opening ceremonies, synthesizer artist Isao Tomita and puppet master and dancer Hiroshi Hori collaborated on a performance of the "THE TALE OF GENJI," thus creating a demonstration of two facets of Japanese culture, one modern, one traditional. The entire sequence of the guests arriving as well as the opening and closing ceremonies were shown at screens set up in the recently opened Roppongi Hills complex as well as through the Forum Vision screen in the Shibuya Station plaza.

Beginning this festival, programming directors were chosen for "Competition," "Special Screenings," and "Winds of Asia" programs, a setup that would be extended to "Japanese Eyes" feature beginning next year.