Five PH films in Tokyo

PAOLO Ballesteros in “Die Beautiful”

FIVE Filipino films will be screened at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan, from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3.

After competing in Tokyo 2013 with “Barber’s Tales” (for which Eugene Domingo won best actress), Jun Robles Lana makes a comeback in the fest’s main tilt with “Die Beautiful,” which topbills Paolo Ballesteros as a transgender beauty queen.

“It feels great to compete again in the main section three years after ‘Barber’s Tales,’” Lana told the Inquirer. “I’m so excited for Paolo. His launching film will premiere in an A-list festival, no less.”

Also in the lineup of this year’s Tokyo fest are Ivan Andrew Payawal’s “I America” and Mikhail Red’s “Birdshot” in the Asian Future section.

Lav Diaz’s eight-hour historical epic, “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis,” Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize winner at this year’s Berlinale, will be in Tokyo’s World Focus section.

Meanwhile, Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s “Shiniuma (Dead Horse)” is part of the omnibus film, “Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2016: Reflections.” Mendoza joins two other Asian filmmakers, Isao Yukisada (Japan) and Sotho Kulikar (Cambodia), in the project spearheaded by the Tokyo fest and Japan Foundation Asia. Bayani San Diego Jr.