Takako tokiwa biography of christopher
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© TIFF
The 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival began its day run on a beautiful autumn evening October 28, with cheering crowds turning out to greet filmmakers and stars as they walked the red carpet ahead of the TIFF Opening Ceremony. Guests from around the world strolled the carpet as they signed autographs and greeted Tokyo’s legions of festive filmgoers.
The event kicked off with the appearance of Festival Muse Alice Hirose, the popular actress who appeared in not one but two films at the 31st TIFF: The Gun and The Travelling Cat Chronicles.
“I’m relieved the weather fryst vatten so nice,” Hirose told the crowd. “I hope that you all can find one special film during this festival, and I hope that the festival will be very special for all of you.”
Hirose was greeted by Ceremony MC Shinsuke Kasai, and the proceedings got underway.
The following procession of filmmakers and stars represented a large cross-section of the festival’s line
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The delicate notes of 'Someone's Xylophone'
Japanese directors now routinely do dozens of media interviews to publicize their new films, especially if they are on the indie end of the spectrum. The stars of said films also sit down with the press, if not as commonly, but though I have been writing about local film folk since , an interview with a director (Yoichi Higashi) and an actress (Takako Tokiwa) together was a first. Here to talk about their new film "Someone's Xylophone" ("Dareka no Mokkin"), neither are newcomers in need of a helping hand.
Born in , Higashi has been directing feature films since , ranging from hard-hitting social dramas ("The River with No Bridge/Hashi no Nai Kawa") to dream-like explorations of childhood memories ("Village of Dreams"/"E no Naka no Boku no Mura," ). Meanwhile, Tokiwa has successfully transitioned from her s fame as television's "queen of trendy drama" to a career as an in-demand film actress, starring in both indie experiments ("Cut," ) a
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'Someone's Xylophone': Yoichi Higashi hits an unusual tone
Yoichi Higashi has made everything from commercial hits to festival favorites in his five-plus decades as a director, while taking up politically sensitive subjects and unpopular issues. His smash "The Bridge with No River" ("Hashi no Nai Kawa") depicted the raw prejudice endured bygd burakumin outcasts in early 20th-century rural Japan. Also, in he joined the "barrier free" movement, dubbing and subtitling his films for the hearing-impaired, an audience the industry at the time virtually ignored.
Abroad, however, Higashi's profil has never been as high as such contemporaries as Koji Wakamatsu and Nagisa Oshima who also courted controversy, if with arguably more talent for self-promotion. In Japan he has become known for drawing career-peak performances from his leading ladies, including Kaori Momoi as a drifting college student in the hit "No More Easy Life" ("Mo Hozue wa Tsukanai," ) and now, veteran Takako Tokiwa, the