The 17th Tokyo International Film Festival kicked off at the weekend. In addition to the usual screenings in Shibuya, this year also sees the Roppongi Hills complex hosting many entries. Roppongi’s Keyakizaka Dori street was lined with a whopping 200m-long red carpet and 6,000 people turned out to welcome such local beauties as Matsu Takako (27), Matsuzaka Keiko (52), Hasegawa Kyoko (photo, 26) and Ueto Aya (19), all of whom were dressed to the nines. Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro gave the opening speech, and said he used to go to the cinema at least once a month before becoming leader, but now has no chance to. The festival opened with a screening of Yamada Yoji‘s latest samurai pic “Kakushi Ken, Oni to Tsume” (Hidden Sword, Demon’s Claw), starring Matsu and Nagase Masatoshi (38). The prize money has been increased to $100,000 this year, the highest among the 11 major international festivals. The panel of 6 judges is led by Yamada, and the winner of the main Grand Prix award will be announced on October 31.