Juliette Binoche, Fan Bingbing, Paul Schrader Light Up Tokyo Festival Opening Night as Japan Is Revealed as Cannes Market Country of Honor

The 38th Tokyo International Film Festival got off to a spectacular start on Monday with a galaxy of stars in attendance.

Attendees parading the red carpet at the storied Takarazuka Theater included a veritable who’s who of celebrities and filmmakers, from Asia and around the world.

They included French actor Juliette Binoche, who is presenting her directorial debut “In-I in Motion” at the festival; Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing, who plays the lead in competition film “Mother Bhumi”; members of Japanese boy band Generations From Exile Tribe (with their documentary scheduled at the festival); and Japanese actor Takuichi Kumi, serving as festival “navigator,” TIFF’s special name for ambassador.

Japanese actor Yoshinaga Sayuri and American filmmaker Paul Schrader brought a well-needed dose of old-school cool to the proceedings. Yoshinaga, an institution in Japanese cinema, stars in the festival’s opening film “Climbing for Life.” She was presented with the TIFF Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony. Yoshinaga wore a kimono displaying a picture of Tabei Junko, the pioneering female Japanese mountaineer who she plays in the film.

Schrader is presenting his 1985 classic “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” in a sidebar dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the birth of the legendary Japanese novelist. When asked on the red carpet if he had any comments for Japanese audiences, he replied sardonically: “Don’t blame America for Donald Trump!” A controversial biopic, “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” has been effectively banned from screening in Japan since its 1985 release. It was originally scheduled to screen at the first TIFF in 1985, but organizers rejected it. Forty years later, it is finally getting its official TIFF premiere.

The cast of Japanese school comedy “Blonde” received some of the loudest applause from awaiting fans, with their cast turning up in matching costumes and bright blonde hairdos from the movie.

Other notable names at the event included “She Has No Name” director Peter Chan Ho-sun; Shibasaki Ko and Mitsushima Hikari, stars of “Bring Him Down to a Portable Size”; “Elvis” producer Schuyler Weiss; Zhang Lu, director of “Mothertongue”; Pengfei, director of “Take Off”; Kitagawa Keiko, star of “Night Flower”; competition jury chair Carlo Chatrian; and Pen-ek Ratanaruang, director of “Morte Cucina.”

For the second year in a row, the weather gods played nice, leading festival chair Ando Hirayasu to remark: “After two days of rain over the weekend, I wondered what would happen on Monday, but the autumn weather turned out to be clear, and thanks to everyone’s support, the red carpet was a spectacular success. This year 270 people walked the carpet, a 30% increase from last year.”

Beyond the stars, Ino Toshiro — Japan’s State Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry — got down to business in his speech at the opening ceremony, including the revelation that Japan will be the country of honor at next year’s Cannes Market. “Japan has been given the opportunity to serve as the country of honor at the Marché du Film. I pledge that we will work together, in partnership between the public and private sectors, to make the most of this opportunity,” Ino said.

Ino also announced that to recognize the outstanding efforts of film commissions, which play an indispensable role in location shooting, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has established a new Minister’s Award this year.

The minister also name-checked Lee Sang-il’s kabuki-based drama “Kokuho,” which debuted at Cannes and has gone on to become the second biggest hit of the year in Japan after “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.”

“Recently, the Japanese film ‘Kokuho‘ became a major hit, and as a result of its influence, public interest in kabuki, a core part of Japan’s cultural heritage, has grown significantly. I am delighted that such works are helping to deepen understanding of and promote the development of Japanese culture,” Ino said. “As a government, we will continue to support efforts to bring these fascinating Japanese contents to audiences worldwide.”

“I sincerely hope that film and the broader content industry will continue to grow as key industries of Japan and as symbols of our culture,” Ino added.

The festival runs through Nov. 5.