Clint Eastwood film opens hybrid 34th Tokyo International Film Festival

CLINT Eastwood’s film Cry Macho will be opening this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) on Oct. 30. The neo-Western drama will be making its Japanese premiere while celebrating Mr. Eastwood’s 50th year as a filmmaker.

The film tells the story of a onetime rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who takes a job to bring a young boy home to Texas and away from his alcoholic mother. On the way, the world-weary horseman finds his own sense of redemption through teaching the boy what it means to be a good man.

Mr. Eastwood directed, starred and produced the film.

Meanwhile, the film adaptation of the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen will be closing the festival on Nov. 8. The Stephen Chbosky film follows the coming-of-age story of the titular character who, in the hope of belonging somewhere, concocts a heartbreaking yet compassionate lie. Ben Platt, who played Evan Hansen in the Broadway musical, reprises the role in the film.

CHANGES IN THE FESTIVAL
The TIFF, considered one of the most prestigious film festivals in Asia, will use a hybrid program for its 34th year — a format introduced in last year’s festival in response to health and safety restrictions needed while dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Last year’s TIFF proved that a meaningful film festival could be held under the various restrictions of COVID-19. And now, TIFF is about to undergo a major transformation. I hope that I can make full use of my experience and knowledge and contribute to that transformation,” Shozo Ichiyama, the festival’s programming director said in a statement.

This year, the festival will be holding physical screenings at theaters in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Ginza area of Tokyo, a change from its longstanding Roponggi venue.

The festival will also be held concurrently with the Tokyo Filmex, a 21-year-old international film festival that focuses on new and independent feature films from Asia. Filmex will also be held in Hibiya and, according to TIFF, the proximity of the two festivals “will enable enhanced convenience for audiences to watch films at both.”

The Tokyo International Film Festival runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 8. For more information, visit https://2021.tiff-jp.net/en/. — ZBC