China's Zhang Yimou will chair the jury for the18th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival (October 22-30) with hisnew film, Riding Alone ForThousands of Miles, opening the proceedings.

Miles stars Ken Takakura as anelderly Japanese man who journeys to a provincial city in China to film a traditional Beijing opera for his folklorist son (Kiichi Nakai). It also stars China's Jiang Wen.

Tokyo's Competition programming director Chiseko Tanaka has also announced five of the sixteen filmsin the running for Tokyo Grand Prix this year, including Robinson Savary's Bye Bye Blackbird, Hans Canosa's Conversations WithOther Women, Jutta Bruckner'sDie Hitlerkantate,Nicolas Lopez's Promedio Dio and Enrico Oldoini's 13 at a Table.

In addition to the Competition, Tokyo's main sections will include Special Screenings,with 22 films scheduled for a fall-winter release in Japan, Winds of Asia, featuring 25films from Asian countries, and Japanese Eyes, presenting 10 new films byJapanese directors.

As last year, the two main venues will bethe Roppongi Hills and Bunkamurashopping and entertainment complexes, both located in central Tokyo. There will be a three-day contentsmarket, called T!FFCOM 2005, to be held in RoppongiHills, with a maximum of 130 booths for sellers from Japan and Asia, comparedwith 82 in 2004. The festival is also planning to hold project and locationmarkets, though the latter is still listed as tentative.