At 6.00 p.m. this evening ( 11.00 a.m. in Italy) the 5th edition of Tokyo's Festival of Italian cinema officially opened with the screening of The House Keys by Gianni Amelio.
Attending the packed opening ceremony was the Italian Ambassador in Tokyo, along with a large delegation of Italian artists accompanied by the President of Aip-filmitalia Giovanni Galoppi, who tomorrow will be joined by the nominees of the Davids awards, Maya Sansa, Stefano Accorsi, Davide Ferrario andGiorgio Pasotti.
Since the early morning hours, the Japanese public stood in long lines to watch Silvio Soldini's filmAgata and the Storm, which was the festival's first screening.
"It is incredible" – Galoppi stated- "to see the enthusiasm of the Japanese public standing in line, since the very first screening. I believe that the extraordinary success of Italian cinema in this very important market, gives meaning to the hard work and efforts that made events such as this one possible."