25 things to do at TIFF

1.

Watch movie stars walk the Green Carpet at TIFF's gala opening event on October 20, a Hollywood-grade extravaganza that's open to the general public.

When: Oct 20, 2012, 1.30pm (tentative)
Where: Roppongi Hills Keyaki Dori, Roppongi Hills Arena

2-3.

Catch the world premiere of Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away (pictured), this year's official opening film (Oct 20), then watch Clint Eastwood in Trouble with the Curve at the festival's close (Oct 28).

4-5.

Moviegoers pay just ¥1,000 to watch films in competition for this year's Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix. And be sure to cast a vote for the Audience Award!

6-7.

TIFF offers a unique opportunity to get up close with your favourite directors and stars: why not sit in on a press conference at the TIFF Movie Café or even ask your own questions at a post-screening Q&A?

8-9.

Lending a competitive streak to this year's fest, you can win a gift coupon for film screenings in the Keyword Rally, and bid on props and film memorabilia at the Charity Auction.

10-11.

TIFF's Minato Screenings (Oct 20 & 27) let you and your kids watch a film get dubbed before your eyes. And speaking of kids: you can enjoy a parents-only date while yours play at the Kid's Square daycare facility, available at a special TIFF discount.

12-13.

There'll be TIFF sections at Tsutaya's DVD shops in Roppongi and Daikanyama during October, so you can bone up on your cinema before the fest – and maybe grab some festival merch while you're at it.

14.

TIFF's website, mail magazine, Twitter (@tiff_site) and Facebook pages mean that it's always easy to keep up with the latest festival news – including ticket availability.

15.

Students have it easy: providing there are still tickets available on the day of a screening, they can watch films at TIFF for just ¥500.

16.

This year's festival boasts an all-new mobile site, allowing you to buy tickets anytime and anywhere using your phone. See http://tickebo.jp/en/1210-tiff/ for details.

17.

If you're looking for some postscreening nourishment, simply show your tickets to get special discounts at many shops and restaurants in Roppongi Hills. For further information, see www.roppongihills.com

18.

A fair few of the films shown at the festival won't ever get a cinematic release in Japan – so make the most of this chance to see some only-at-TIFF movies.

19.

As any fan of Japanese or foreignlanguage cinema can tell you, TIFF is one of the only places in Tokyo where you can enjoy films with English subtitles (note: some exceptions apply).

20-21.

There's a special focus on Asian cinema at this year's fest: freak yourself out at a Cambodian horror retrospective and then get acquainted with some top Indonesian filmmakers.

22-23.

Meet an indie cinema legend as 'King of the Bs' Roger Corman heads the festival jury – and gets his own all-night screening (Oct 27). Then survey the local indie scene in this year's Japanese Eyes section, which includes films about the Tohoku disaster.

24.

One of the most popular parts of the festival, ‘natural TIFF’ urges audiences to think about the environment, with a selection of films that are sure to provoke heated debate.

25.

Many of the films shown at Cannes, Berlin and Venice make it into TIFF's World Cinema section, letting local viewers catch up on this year's most buzzed-about movies.