Thirty years after his death, Lee remains a legendary figure in the worlds of both martial arts and film, the organisers of the festival said.
“The 70th Anniversary: Bruce Lee to the Future” tribute will be part of the Winds of Asia Middle-East section at the festival, which opens at the main Roppongi Hills venue on October 23.
Best known for headlining in “Enter the Dragon” — which was only released after his death in 1973 — Lee has continued to inspire modern movie makers. The retrospective will include a screening of the rare version of “Game of Death” that was distributed in Japan in 1978, as well a number of films that pay tribute to Lee, including the 2010 kung fu comedy “Gallants”, directed by Derek Kwok, and the Vietnam film “The Legend is Alive”, by Luu Huynh Luu.
The organisers of the festival have also named award-winning Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan as president of the jury. Jordan won an Oscar for “The Crying Game” and his second film, “Company of Wolves”, was selected for the first year of the TIFF competition section in 1985.
Negotiations are still ongoing for the final lineup for this year’s festival, with the titles in the competition vying for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix. Last year’s award went to Kamen Kalev, director of “Eastern Plays”.
In total, 743 films from 81 countries and regions were screened last year, making TIFF one of the key film festivals in Asia and, increasingly, in the world. It was first held in 1985, initially every two years, but it has been staged every autumn since 1991. In Asia, it competes with other movie festivals in Hong Kong and Pusan as the biggest and most influential movie event.
Organisers are again keen to emphasise the environment-awareness side of the event and will again be rolling out a green carpet — instead of the more traditional red carpet — to welcome stars of the big screen. — Relaxnews
