The Tokyo International Film Festival closed its 39th edition on November 4 after a ten-day run. The international competition jury, chaired by filmmaker Rolf de Heer, handed the Tokyo Grand Prix (Governor of Tokyo Award) to 'Sister Brother Manhole Cover' by Milcho Manchevski, a North Macedonian-led co-production with Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Italy and the UK. The 'Before the Rain' director was not present and his producer collected the award.
Blending comedy, crime and drama around a group of con artists, the film had a long road to the screen: Manchevski says it was held up for years by political obstacles in his home country.
The Special Jury Prize went to 'Magic Atlas' by Sun Xun (Singapore). Argentina's Lisandro Alonso won best director for 'Double Freedom'. Hu Ling ('The Night That Binds Us') and Japan's Ryo Narita ('Two Cigarettes, Three Nights') took the acting awards, and Jelena Maksimović's 'Until the Day Ends' earned the artistic contribution prize. Audiences picked Teodora Ana Mihai's 'Heysel 85'.
In the Asian Future section, Tarek Daoud's 'Serife Tavsan' was named best film, while Miki Tanaka's 'Silver Express' won Nippon Cinema Now. The festival screened 204 films and recorded more than 69,000 admissions.
