Contentious film opens "green" festival

       The Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) opened on Saturday with the debut screening of a USmade documentary about a traditional dolphin hunt in Japan - a contentious inclusion at the week-long event.
       Since last year, the festival has taken on the theme of the environment, with international movie stars, film-makers and other dignitaries walking up a ceremonial green carpet instead of the usual red.
       Stars attending the opening ceremony of the 22nd edition of Tiff, which runs through October 25, include Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington, star of James Cameron's new film Avatar .The hard-hitting The Cove , a late inclusion at the festival, will be shown for the first time publicly in Japan, with some saying it casts Japanese tradition in a negative light.
       It focuses on the annual dolphin hunt in the coastal town of Taiji, a long-time practice for local fishermen but condemned internationally by animal rights activists for being cruel.
       The film shows angry confrontations between residents and the lead activist,Ric O'Barry, who in the 1960s trained dolphins for the US hit television show Flipper but now argues the animals should be free to roam the oceans.
       The film has won numerous international prizes, including the Sundance Festival's audience award.
       Tiff has aspired to be the top festival in Asia for international films with the same prestige as Cannes, Venice or Berlin,although it faces tough competition from rivals in Bangkok and Busan, South Korea.
       In addition to The Cove and Avatar ,other special screenings include Drag Me to Hell , directed by Sam Raimi, as well as the Japanese remake of the 2004 Oscar-winning Sideways . Fifteen movies ranging in theme and style will compete for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix, the top prize. New premier Yukio Hatoyama,sporting a green bow tie in a nod to the environmental theme, and his wife Miyuki were among those who attended the opening event.