Tokyo International Film Festival Showcases Shuji Terayama and Orson Welles

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TOKYO, May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The 28th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce in Cannes, that we will have two special screenings of works by Shuji Terayama - who used his multiple talents as a poet and a director of stage and screen to lead the underground cultural scenes of the 1960s - and works by Orson Welles - whose influence on modern cinematography through such masterpieces as "Citizen Kane" is incalculable.

The 28th TIFF will take place October 22-31, 2015 at Roppongi Hills and other venues in Tokyo.

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Terayama Films

In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Terayama's birth, the festival will screen a special selection of the feature films that Terayama directed. This special selection includes, among other full-length works, "Pastoral: To Die in the Country (Den'en ni Shisu)" (1974), which was selected in the competition section of the 28th Cannes International Film Festival.

Shuji Terayama:

Born in 1935 in Aomori Prefecture. Terayama wrote haiku since his youth and was active as a tanka poet during his days as a student at Waseda University. After dropping out of school, Terayama worked as a playwright, radio dramatist and screenwriter. In 1967, at age 31, he established the theater troupe Tenjo Sajiki. Terayama in 1971 wrote and directed his first full-length film, "Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets," which won the Grand Prize at the San Remo Film Festival. "Pastoral: To Die in the Country," which Terayama directed in 1974, was screened at the 1975 Cannes International Film Festival. Though suffering from illness at the time, Terayama directed "Farewell to the Ark" in 1982. He died of his illness at the age of 47 in 1983. The dramas, films and words that Terayama left to this world continue to inspire people of all generations around the world.

Orson Welles Retrospective at His Centenary

Orson Welles Retrospective will be co-hosted by the National Film Center, Motion Picture Association, Japan and International Motion Pictures Copyright Association. This retrospective celebrates the centennial of the birth of Orson Welles (1915-1985), who produced many legendary works in the history of global cinema following his sensational debut with "Citizen Kane" (1941). Welles's energetic and creative directorial style gave rise to an expansive filmography that includes numerous unfinished works and multiple versions of his films. At the centenary of Welles's birth, this special selection of his work - to be presented with the cooperation of the Munich Film Museum - includes "Citizen Kane" and comes closer to understanding "the unknown Orson Welles."

Orson Welles:

Orson Welles was born in 1915. In 1938, his theater group performed a radio play based on "The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells, which caused a nationwide sensation in the United States. His debut film as director, "Citizen Kane," received critical acclaim. However, from Welles's second film, "The Magnificent Ambersons," onward, he became one of "cursed filmmakers," doomed to see one film after another released in a form differing from his original vision or canceled during production. Regardless, his works are each stamped indelibly with his fierce individuality and never cease to impress cinema fans. Welles also had an active career as an actor. He died in 1985.

Note: The screening titles are subject to change.

SOURCE Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF)