Tokyo Int'l Film Festival
October 27 - November 7

The Tokyo International Film Festival concluded on November 5 by awarding one of the hottest festival entries this year: Amores Perros by blissful newcomer (and former radio deejay) Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Prior to the closing ceremony, the Asian Film Award went to Three Brothers by Serik Aprymov, a fledgling Kazakh director who had against all odds garnered the 1999 Audience Prize of Nantes for the solemn Aksuat. The prize was given to the producer of the film by Japanese director Masahiro Kobayashi (Koroshi) who pointed out that it was a tough decision hesitating between Three Brothers and Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors by Hong Sang-soo (South-Korea), which "thus received the Jury Special Mention."

In receiving his 1 million yen check, producer Shinju Sano confessed jokingly: "This is the exact amount of money I have invested in the film, but I promise to give it to Serik. With this amount, he can live for 5 years!" At the press conference held afterwards, Serik Aprymov talked willingly about his young career, with the same kind of humour that won the jury.

"The theme of Three Brothers is the evanescence of human things" he revealed, "so I guess it has a special resonance in Asian countries. I have been to quite a few festivals with my films up to now: Nantes, Berlin, Venice, Cannes. Three Brothers was first shown at Berlin, next it is going to Torino and Nantes. I think the best point in winning a prize at a festival is that it becomes easier to finance your films."

" I think to be a director is to always forget something. You have an idea, you write a script, you shoot a film, and then you realize that you have forgotten one essential thing, so you make another film!

Held in the beautiful Bunkamura theatre in Shibuya, the closing ceremony unrolled from 4.30 to 5.20 in the afternoon, leaving no time for ad lib. Yet, enough time was taken to repeat all the titles of the 16 films in competition to the audience. The ensuing clapometer highly favoured Love's a Bitch, giving a strong hint of what was to come: Best Director Award and Tokyo Grand Prix for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's film.

"It's too much for me tonight" said the Mexican director upon receiving the Tokyo Grand Prix, adding jokingly: "It's so much money that I think I will drink it, tonight! I think Emilio, my wife, all my friends and I will search out a good sake, a good tequila and we will mix! I think in the end you make films because you want people to love you. I felt this tonight, more than as a director, as a human being. This is a wonderful experience, and I don't want to keep talking because I am going to cry and I don't want to do that..."

At the press conference held afterwards, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu jokingly referred to Hachiko, the famous dog statue built in Shibuya to honour Japan's most loyal dog. "It is the saint of the dogs" said Inarritu, making Japanese journalists laugh. "I will pray to him and thank him for this price".

And after the family photo session during which Volker Schlöndorff weighed Inarritu's golden dragon statuette with coveting eyes, the curtain fell on a festival which could not have better fulfilled its mission of distinguishing new talents. Arigato gozaimashita!

Robin Gatto & Yuki Emi