Tokyo film festival opens

The Tokyo International Film Festival opened Saturday with 15 movies competing for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix, the top prize, in the nine-day gala.

Celebrities attending the opening ceremony of the 23nd edition of TIFF, which runs through to October 31, included French actress Catherine Deneuve, who stars in "Potiche" and the cast of science fiction film "Tron: Legacy".

"Tron: Legacy" will be shown as a short version in 3D ahead of its full version screening around the world in December.

Opening the festival is David Fincher's "The Social Network", whose star Jesse Eisenberg attended the launch ceremony.

Since 2008 the festival has had an environmental theme, with stars, filmmakers and other dignitaries walking along a ceremonial green carpet instead of the usual red.

Screenings include a documentary, "Countdown to Zero", which focuses on the reality and danger of nuclear proliferation, presented by the Oscar-winning crew which made "An Inconvenient Truth".

Fifteen films, ranging in theme and style, will screen in the competition.

TIFF has aspired to be the top festival in Asia for international films with the same prestige as Cannes, Venice or Berlin, although it faces tough competition from rivals in Bangkok and Busan, South Korea.