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ASIAN multihyphenate Zhao Wei is bringing some Chinese star power to the Tokyo International Film Festival this year.

The actress-turned-fi lmmaker — beloved in China for her starring roles in the fi lms of Stephen Chow, John Woo, Johnny To and others; as well as her smash-hit directorial debut, “So Young” — is serving on the main competition jury at the Tokyo festival’s 30th edition.

She spoke with The Hollywood Reporter (THR) about the vital role fi lm festivals play in the global fi lm industry and the encour-aging signs of collaboration between the world’s second- and third-largest movie markets — China and Japan.

THR: How do you feel about being on the Tokyo jury this year? What made you decide to accept the invite?

Well, the Tokyo festival is a very suc-cessful one, and internationally it’s well respected. A fi lm I performed in and a fi lm I directed were both selected by past editions of TIFF, so I’ve been here a number of times and I feel very close to the festival. I am happy to support them on their 30th anniversary.

THR: You’ve also participated on the Venice fi lm festival jury, and recently you lent your support to the upcoming Film Noir Festival in Corsica. Do fi lm festivals hold a special importance to you?

Without fi lm festivals the movie busi-ness would only take place in the box offi ce, and that’s not why any of us fell in love with cinema in the fi rst place. I’ve been on a number of fi lm festival juries and occasionally the big awards go to fi lms from lesser known regions, or to previously unknown directors. In these fi lms — which are coming from outside the mainstream — you can fi nd a very sincere expression of pure devotion to the craft of fi lmmaking. So festivals provide an opportunity for fi lm fans and fi lm-makers like me to go back to that very fi rst stage of falling in love with cinema — and to re-examine why we wanted to make fi lms in the fi rst place. Without these festival honors, these beautiful fi lms probably wouldn’t have been seen by many people.

THR: Recently, there has been more collaboration between the Chinese and Japanese fi lm industries, which represent the world’s second- and third-larg-est fi lm markets, respectively. The Japanese anime fi lm “Your Name,” for example, was a huge success in China in 2016, and there is increased participa-tion by Chinese fi lms at the Tokyo festival this year. Do you think we’ll see this trend continue?

Well, I certainly think it’s a positive thing. There are many great Japanese fi lms, so of course it’s good if Chinese audiences can see them in theaters. I really adore the work of director Hirokazu

Kore-eda and Tetsuya Nakashima. I like many Japanese directors, and I believe if Chinese audiences get the chance to see their fi lms on the big screen, they will enjoy them too.

THR: You’ve achieved success as an actress, as a director and also quite notably as an investor (Zhao is occasionally referred to as “China’s lady Warren Buffett,” thanks to an early investment in Jack Ma’s Alibaba Pictures Group, which is believed to have netted her and her husband more than US$1 billion when the studio went public). Which of these roles do you enjoy most these days?

I enjoy acting and directing the most, defi nitely. Once you begin work on a fi lm, it feels as if you are entering a different world. If you don’t enter that world fully, it’s hard to produce pure work. And once you have entered fully, the reality of the real world becomes less preferable, even less enjoyable. I love nothing more than this feeling of being at work inside a fi lm. Making movies is also very collaborative and requires total teamwork — and I also love work-ing side by side with people who all share the same goal and vision.THR: What grabs you about the Tokyo lineup this year?

Most of the fi lms that were selected for the competition this year I wasn’t previ-ously familiar with. But having read all of the summaries, I think it’s a dynamic

and dramatic selection. I look forward to seeing them all.THR: Anything you’re looking forward to enjoying in Tokyo outside of your jury duties?

I come to Tokyo often, so this time it’s going to be all about watching movies and enjoying the festival — which sounds wonderful to me.

(SD-Agencies)

Zhao Wei: Without fi lm festivals, 'there would only be box offi ce'

Zhao Wei

A PERSISTENT drizzle and the impend-ing arrival of Japan’s second typhoon in one week couldn’t dampen the enthu-siasm Wednesday at the Tokyo Inter-national Film Festival’s star-studded opening ceremony.

Tommy Lee Jones, Chinese actress Zhao Wei and big-name talent from

across the Japanese and broader Asian star fi rmament walked the red carpet at Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills complex, where the festival rang in its 30th anniversary edition.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate the Tokyo festival on its 30th anniver-sary,” said Japanese auteur and Cannes

favorite Naomi Kawase, who walked the red carpet in a shimmering black sleeve-less dress. “This is an important anniver-sary and a wonderful achievement.”

“I’m also delighted that it has fi nally stopped raining,” the director added, during a brief pause in the gentle Tokyo downpour.

Tokyo Film Festival's 30th edition opens

Jones is attending the Tokyo festival this year as chair of the event’s main competition jury. He walked the carpet alongside fellow jurors: Zhao, who is one of China’s most beloved actresses as well as a director; Iranian fi lmmaker Reza Mirkarimi; French director/writer Martin Provost and Japanese actor Masatoshi Nagase, known in the West for his role in Jim Jarmusch’s “Mystery Train.”

Various power players from the international fi lm industry also made an appearance Wednesday night.

Former Senator Chris Dodd, outgo-ing chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, walked the carpet, fl anked by Mike Ellis, president of the MPA in Asia-Pacifi c. And Thierry Fremaux, director of the Cannes Film Festival, attended in support of Lumi-ere!, his feature documentary about the groundbreaking work of the Lumiere Brothers, the late 19th century French cinematic innovators.

“I’m very happy to be here on behalf of the Lumiere Brothers, whose work fi rst came to Japan 120 years ago, shortly after the birth of cinema,” Fremaux said. “As the director of the Cannes Film Festival, I am also here to support my colleagues at this important fellow festival. It’s my fi rst time at the Tokyo festival and I’m delighted to be here.”

The 30th Tokyo International Film Festival runs through Nov. 3 at Rop-pongi Hills and other central Tokyo venues.

(SD-Agencies)

(From L) Japanese actor Masatoshi Nagase, French director/writer Martin Provost, Victoria Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Chinese actress Zhao Wei and Iranian fi lmmaker Reza Mirkarimi at the opening ceremony for the 30th Tokyo Film Festival. SD-Agencies