Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) announced last week they have established a new joint award for the Competition Section at this year’s 27th TIFF (coming up in October 2014)— the ‘WOWOW Viewer’s Choice Award’. This will be the first time for a broadcasting company to be a presenting sponsor of an award at TIFF. The cash prize for this award will be US $10,000.

Scenes from the 27th TIFF and the screening process to determine the winner of the WOWOW Viewer’s Choice Award are scheduled to be shown at “TOUCH! WOWOW 2014”, a full-scale event integrating TV broadcasts with online experiences and live events on November 22, 2014.

TIFF and WOWOW announced that they will continueto plan and activate beneficial projects together to contribute to the development of Japan’s film culture.

The 27th Tokyo International Film Festival will be held from October 23 to 31, 2014 at Roppongi Hills, TOHO Cinemas Nihonbashi, and other venues in Tokyo.

Join the festival and share the excitement of the world of inspiring films and animation !
Visit the official Tokyo International Film Festival: http://2014.tiff-jp.net/news/en/?p=6765

It has also been announced that they will be featuring works by Hideaki Anno, one of Japan’s most prominent filmmakers. “The World of Hideaki Anno” will be the first-ever major screening occasion to showcase his works.

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The opening ceremony will feature:
“BIG HERO 6” – a heartwarming adventure story of Hiro, a 14-year-old robotics prodigy, and a robot called Baymax. The film is set in the fictional metropolis of San Fransokyo (a combination of San Francisco and Tokyo).
Watch the trailer here
(also featured at the top of the post)

The closing ceremony will feature:
“PARASYTE” directed by one of Japan’s best filmmakers, Takashi Yamazaki (“Always – Sunset on 3rd Street” and “The Eternal Zero”). The film was adapted from a Japanese comic by Hitoshi Iwaaki that was published in the magazine ‘Gekkan Afternoon’ from 1990 to 1995 and sold 11 million copies.

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About WOWOW (official description)
WOWOW is Japan’s leading premium pay TV broadcaster with approximately 2.6 million subscribers and the first 24/7, 3 channel, full-HD broadcaster in Japan. With a focus on quality entertainment and exceptional customer service, WOWOW has seen eight years of continuous net growth in subscribers. As of July 2011, all of the company’s subscribers are now on a digital subscription, which includes access to WOWOW’s groundbreaking Members On Demand service.
Visit the official WOWOW website (english): http://www.wowow.co.jp/info_e/
Visit the official WOWOW website (japanese): http://www.wowow.co.jp

Source: Tokyo International Film Festival
Image credits: Tokyo International Film FestivalKiseiju