The 19th annual Tokyo International FilmFestival has announced that its opening film on Oct 21 will be Clint Eastwood'sFlags Of OurFathers.

The film is the first of two that focus on the WWIIbattle for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Flagsdepicts events from the American side, while the forthcoming Red Sun, Black Sand will be told fromthe Japanese perspective.

Both films are DreamWorks and Warner Brothersco-productions. Flagsis released in the US on Oct 20 and in Japan on Oct 28, a week after itsscreening at TIFF. Red Sun is slatedfor a December release in both territories.

The multiple Oscar-winning 76-year-old director paid a goodwill visit to Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara last year to get his blessing and supportfor production of the film on location. The outspoken governor, also a writer,is currently producing his own WWII film about kamikaze pilots.

The international competition jury at Tokyo is to beheaded by French director Claude Lelouche (Palme D'Or winner for A Man and a Woman) and includes Venicefilm festival director Marco Mueller, whose recently announced lineup forVenice showed a strong presence of Japanese and Asian films in general.

The Tokyo International Film Festival runs from Oct 21to 29 in Tokyo's Roppongi and Shibuya districts. TheTIFFCOM film market runs concurrently from Oct 23 to 25.