Liza Foreman

Europeans Dominate Competition In Tokyo

By Liza Foreman

TOKYO - The competition section of this year's Tokyo International Film Festival (October 22-30) will see Greece compete with France, Turkey, Sweden, England and Belgium, with this year's competition section dominated by films from the Euro zone. Only a handful of Asian titles compete this year, including Japan's The Woodsman and the Rain, which makes its world premiere; Oxide Pang's Sleepwalker which makes its world premiere also; Thai director, Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Headshot, which makes its Asian premiere; and the Chinese film, Kora by Du Jiayi. Herewith a list of the European films in competition - 

Title: A Better Life
Director: France's Cedric Kahn
Synopsis: A cook and a waitress decide to risk everything to buy a restaurant.
Country of Origin: France
World Sales: Wild Bunch

Title: When Pigs Have Wings
Director: Sylvain Estibal, a French-born director based in Uruguay.
Synopsis: A Palestinian farmer finds a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, which he attempts to sell to the UN.
Country of origin: France-Belgium
World Sales: Studio Canal

Title: Detachment
Director: Britain's Tony Kaye
Synopsis: A study of the American education system, as seen through the eyes of a teacher.
Country of Origin: USA
World Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Title: Home
Director: Muzaffer Ozdemir
Synopsis: A Turkish architect embarks on a journey to his home town after falling ill.
Country of Origin: Turkey
World Sales: Tutya Filn

Title: J.A.C.E.
Director: Greece's Menelaos Karamaghiolis
Synopsis: A Greek-Albanian child witnesses a massacre which wipes out his foster family.
Country of Origin: Greece-Portugal
World Sales: Pausilypon Films

Title: Play
Director: Sweden's Ruben Ostlund
Synopsis: A group of Swedish boys rob other children.
Country of Origin: Sweden-Denmark-France
World Sales: The Co-Production Office

Title: Things from Another World
Director: Italy's Francesco Patierno
Synopsis: Immigrants are driven away from an Italian town by the antics of a racist colleague.
Country of Origin: Italy
World Sales: Adriana Chiesa Enterprises

Title: Trishna
Director: Britain's Michael Winterbottom
Synopsis: An adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel, Tess of the d'Urbervilles set in Rajasthan.
Country of Origin: U.K.
World Sales: Backside Films

Title: Untouchable
Directors: France's Eric Toledano/Olivier Nakache
Synopsis: An aristocrat hires an ex-convict to be his care-giver.
Country of Origin: France
World Sales: Gaumont