CHINESE actress Zhang Ziyi will be president of the main competition jury at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), the fest announced in Cannes on Wednesday.

TIFF director Takeo Hisamatsu called her “one of the leading actresses in the world,” and said her performance in legendary Japanese director Seijun Suzuki’s final film “Princess Raccoon” (2005) had “earned her many Japanese fans.”

Zhang recalled her first trip to Tokyo with her first feature, Zhang Yimou’s “The Road Home” (1999), which went on to win a Silver Bear at Berlin. “I was immensely touched by the warmth of the reception for and witnessed first-hand the love and passion that Japan has for the art of movie-making,” she said.

Zhang will appear in the upcoming “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and is due to reprise her role in 2020’s “Godzilla vs. Kong.” She has previously served on juries at Cannes. The 32nd edition of TIFF is scheduled to run from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5 at Roppongi Hills and other Tokyo venues.(SD-Agencies)