text, photos copyright Christopher Johnson —

Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, and a couple of Coppolas are set to bring their star power to the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival from October 17-25.

Roppongi Hills is the main venue for the event, which used to be held around Bunkamura in Shibuya.

De Niro should be good as a gangster who moves to France with his family in Malavita.

Hanks plays the protagonist in Captain Phillips, which deals with Somali pirates.

Joining her father Francis Ford Coppola in Tokyo, Sofia Coppola, whose iconic film Lost in Translation was based on her own experiences living in Japan, will unveil her latest, The Bling Ring, reportedly a true story about teen crime.

The festival also features Steven Soderbergh‘s look at Liberace Behind the Candelabra.

In The Railway Man, Colin Firth stars as a British soldier dealing with Japanese soldier who tortured him, not an uncontroversial subject in Japan.

Geoffrey Rush portrays an art dealer in The Best Offer.

A Thai film Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy takes place on Twitter.

Best news for gaijin: all of the Japanese films will reportedly have English subtitles, a great way to learn Japanese for students here.

The festival features themes such as “Japanese Cinema Splash” and “Asian Future”. Chen Kaige, director of Farewell my Concubine, heads the jury, which includes local actress Shinobu Terajima. First prize is $50,000.

For info on buying tickets, go here: http://tiff.yahoo.co.jp/2013/en/