Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2012

Fall has finally come to Tokyo, meaning it’s time for movie fans to get geared up for the Tokyo International Film Festival. The opening film of the 25th edition will be Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, which presents an all-new show by the entertainment troupe. Cirque du Soleil has sold over 100 million tickets worldwide (12 million in Japan) since forming in Quebec in 1984. Fellow Canadian James Cameron, no stranger to big box-office takings himself, recently decided it was finally time he put them in a film. But the work is much more than a simple effort to preserve the latest show for prosperity. Andrew Adamson, director of the Shrek series, captures the breathtaking aerobatics of the troupe in beautiful cinematography, communicating the emotional nuances that live audiences are likely to miss from the back row. As producer, Cameron insisted the work be in 3D, in order to bring viewers into the performances. TIFF allows fans in Japan to get an early look at the film, which opens worldwide this Christmas. The festival will close with Trouble with the Curve, starring Clint Eastwood as an aging baseball scout.

Roppongi Hills and other venues, Oct 20-28. http://2012.tiff-jp.net/en