The 20th Tokyo International Film Festival opened in Tokyo on Saturday as some 300 actors, directors and others walked on the red carpet laid out on the Roppongi Hills before hundreds of fans.

Among the actors and actresses were Takao Osawa and Yuko Takeuchi, who both appeared in Izuru Narushima's Midnight Eagle. Some 300 films will be shown during the festival, which runs through October 28, organizers said.

Besides its main Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix award, this year's film festival also features such programs as "Winds of Asia", which presents films produced in Asia and the Middle East, and "Tokyo in Focus", which shows films set in Tokyo after World War II.

The 20th Tokyo International Film Festival has arranged a special section for films from Hong Kong to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the metropolis' return to the motherland.

Four outstanding Hong Kong movies are to be shown in central Tokyo's Shibuya commercial district during the 4-day section starting on Tuesday.

Chinese actress Miao Pu at the opening ceremony of the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival on Saturday, October 20, 2007.

A festival organizer wrote on the official website that Hong Kong, the "Oriental Hollywood," is gathering the spotlight in international film circles and the Hong Kong section marks the pulse of the development of the city's film industry.

The setup of the Hong Kong section showed the Tokyo International Film Festival's increasing awareness about and interest in Chinese-language films, analysts said.

Films from Hong Kong have been popular recently in Japan's pan-capital region, with some famous movies such as Kungfu guaranteeing an abundant box office income.

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing at the opening ceremony of the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival on Saturday, October 20, 2007.

Feng Huang, with the Japanese star actor-and-producer Kiichi Nakai and Chinese actress Miao Pu, was selected as the opening film of the festival as well as one of the competitors for top prize. It is not only a love story, but also a story that celebrates the 35th anniversary of the normalization of ties between Japan and China. In addition to this film, festival organizers also arranged the "China Film Week".

More than 300 movies from around the world are waiting to be shown at the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival during the following eight days. A total of 15 films are candidates for the main Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix and other awards under such themes as "Winds of Asia" and "Tokyo in Focus."

The jury, headed by US producer Alan Ladd Jr., will announce results of the competition on the closing day of the festival.

Feng Huang's film crew (from L to R): Jin Chen, Miao Pu, Kiichi Nakai and Guo Tao at the opening ceremony of the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival on Saturday, October 20, 2007.

The jury, headed by US film producer Alan Ladd Jr., appears at the opening ceremony of the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival on Saturday, October 20, 2007.

Chinese filmmakers at the opening ceremony of the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival on Saturday, October 20, 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn October 21, 2007)