Hong Kong acting icon Tony Leung will serve as the president of the International Competition jury at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival.
Leung, known internationally for his collaborations with Wong Kar-wai on films such as "In the Mood for Love", "Chungking Express", "Happy Together" and "2046", and for movies such as "Lust, Caution", "Infernal Affairs" series and Marvel’s "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", is returning to the festival after delivering a masterclass at the last year's edition.
The actor, one of the most influential actors from Asia, has won an extensive list of awards throughout his storied career including the best actor trophy at the Cannes Film Festival for "In the Mood for Love" and the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival.
Leung, 61, said he is "immensely honoured" to be on the jury at TIFF as he grew up watching classic Japanese movies in Hong Kong and they "were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people and its culture".
"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," the actor said in a statement, shared by the festival on its official website.
Leung first participated in the 13th TIFF in 2000, when "In the Mood for Love" was shown in the Special Screening section. He attended the festival again in 2008 and then in 2023.
Ando Hiroyasu, Chairman of TIFF, said they are honoured that Leung is serving as the jury head at a time when the 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 TIFF a few times in the past and has many fans in Japan. He will be a great addition to this year’s festival," Hiroyasu said.
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