Leading Hong Kong actor Tony Leung has been set as the president of the jury that will decide the main competition prizes at the Tokyo International Film Festival later this year.
“Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one. And to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me. From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will be a bit of an adventure, with an audacious line up of quality films. I just, ‘feel’, when it comes to judging, trusting fellow jurors’ feelings as well as my own, will make a positive contribution to the selection process,” said Leung, in a prepared statement.
The star, also known as Leung Chiu-wai, attended the festival last year where he gave a master class and attended the screening of classic Wong Kar-wai film “2046.”
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He previously visited in 2000, when another Wong film“In the Mood for Love”was shown in the festival’s special screening section. He returned with 2008 John Woo film “Red Cliff: Part 1.”
Leunghas an extensive list of awards throughout a career that began in the 1980s at Hong Kong’s TVB. He gained international recognition for collaborations with Wong, with whom he has worked on seven films.
He also appeared in three films that won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival:1989’s “A City of Sadness,” directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien;1995’s “Cyclo,” directed by Tran Anh Hung; and 2007’s“Lust, Caution” by director Ang Lee. And in 2023, the festival presented him with a lifetime achievement award.
Leung also starred in the Academy Award-nominated film“Hero,”box office hits“Infernal Affairs” and Marvel’s“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”Among his next projects, he is expected to join the cast of Ildiko Enyedi’s “Silent Friend.”
“We are very pleased and deeply honored that Mr. Tony Leung will be serving as jury president for the international competition at a time when [the Tokyo festival] is enhancing its presence as a leading film festival in Asia. Mr. Leung, who has an illustrious career as one of the world’s most critically lauded and internationally admired Asian actors, has participated in [Tokyo] several times in the past and has many fans in Japan. He will be a great addition to this year’s festival,” said festival chairman Ando Hiroyasu.
