Famed Hollywood executive and producer Alan Ladd Jr. will head the jury. Ladd previously ran 20th Century Fox, during which time Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back were produced. Hits Moonstruck and Thelma & Louise were produced during his tenure as head of MGM/UA. He also won a Best Picture Oscar for producing Braveheart under The Ladd Company.
Ladd is joined by Montreal World Film Festival general director Serge Losique, composer Nicola Piovani (Life Is Beautiful), Taiwanese writer-director-actor Wu Nien-Jen (A Borrowed Life), veteran Japanese actress Kyoko Kagawa (Tokyo Story) and Japanese director Yasuo Furuhata (Railroad Man).
TIFF also announced the recipient of the Akira Kurosawa Award, which carries a purse of $100,000. Independent British producer David Puttnam, whose credits include The Mission and The Killing Fields, received the prize. Puttnam also chaired the jury at the first edition of TIFF in 1985.
'Looking back on my long career, I can honestly say that the week spent chairing the jury at the first Tokyo International Film Festival counts among the most challenging, enjoyable and ultimately satisfying of my entire life,' Puttnam commented on the honour.
Last year's dual recipients were directors Kon Ichikawa and Milos Forman.
Both announcements came two weeks late after the traditional unveiling at the main end-of-September press conference.
TIFF is the centerpiece of the 18-event Japan International Contents Festival (CoFesta) and runs from October 20-28 in Tokyo 's Roppongi Hills and Shibuya districts.
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