Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2013

The coming of fall means only one thing to cinephiles here—the Tokyo International Film Festival is just around the corner. The 26th edition of TIFF this month brings fans the chance to see Japanese films with English subtitles, some blockbusters months before their general release and catch some titles that may never be seen on these shores again. Farewell My Concubine director Chen Kaige heads this year’s jury, which includes local actress Shinobu Terajima.

The 17 films in the competition include the craft beer drenched romantic comedy Drinking Buddies, and Love is the Perfect Crime, a French thriller about a womanizing professor and a female student who goes missing. Richard Ayoade, best known for acting in The IT Crowd, returns to Tokyo with his second directorial effort The Double (pictured), a psychological thriller based on the Dostoyevsky novel.

Special screenings outside the competition include Parkland, which recreates the chaos in Dallas following the JFK assassination 50 years ago, Sofia Coppola’s true story teen crime flickThe Bling Ring and The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth as a British army man struggling to reconcile with the Japanese soldier who tortured him during WWII. The “World Focus” series includes Jodorowsky’s Dune, a documentary on the cult director’s failed attempt to adapt the sci-fi novel, Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy, a Thai film based on a Twitter stream and the Paradise trilogy from director Ulrich Seidl about three Austrian women from the same family who have life-changing experiences.

Presenting a rare opportunity in Tokyo, almost all of the Japanese films in the festival are screening with English subtitles. The lineup includes A Band Rabbit and a Boy, about a junior high student finding his place through music, Forma which tells the story of two female coworkers whose relationship spins out of control and the historical romantic comedy A Tale of Samurai Cooking.

High-profile films include Malavita, starring Robert De Niro as a Mafioso who relocates to France with his wife and kids, Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks portraying a real life hero confronting modern pirates and Geoffrey Rush as an art dealer whose quiet world is thrown into turmoil by a younger woman in The Best Offer. Hanks is attending the festival opening and De Niro has been penciled in for a visit.

The Tokyo International Film Festival will be held at Roppongi Hills and other venues, October 17-25. Tickets for screenings can be purchased via mobile or smartphone via the Ticket Board service. http://tiff.yahoo.co.jp/2013/en/