Though it's eight years older than PIFF, the Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs Oct. 18 to 26, has always come across as the neglected little brother in terms of Asian film events. For years, TIFF had the reputation of being mainly a showcase for Japanese studios and distributors, who trot out their new releases for maximum exposure, but with the economy being what it is and sponsorship thinner than before, the festival has had to rely increasingly on its own resources. And this year, the programming, while not quite up to PIFF's standards, shows imagination and ambition.

TIFF could never be accused of pandering to the indie mentality. Its Special Screening section contains mainstream movies local distributors are hoping you'll pay to see, and it's a rough mix as always. The opening film, "Red Cliff," comes with a powerhouse Asian cast, the biggest budget in Chinese film history, and the return of Hong Kong prodigal son John Woo after a decade of directing Hollywood action movies. "Red Cliff" also comes with a big caveat: It's part one of a two-part series about a legendary battle, and most of the main action is in the second part. The closing film, Pixar's animated and mostly dialogue- free feature "Wall-E," about robots in love, is a more consistent piece of entertainment. Some of the more notable offerings in this section are Madonna's directorial debut, "Filth and Wisdom," starring Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz; "Elegy," a May-December romantic drama starring Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz; and "Assembly," the patriotic Chinese war epic in the style of "Saving Private Ryan" that opened the 2007 edition of PIFF.

In the past, TIFF's Competition Section was utilitarian in the sense that any film festival competition invites press attention and that TIFF could always count on one or two high-profile entries, usually from the U.S., that didn't make it into competitions at Western festivals. However, the majority of entries have tended to be second-rate movies from second-rate national film centers. This year's selection looks more promising. The standout is "Tulpan," another Kazakh film produced by Gulnara Sarsenova that has received high marks from critics in Europe. Also vying for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix is "Four Nights With Anna," the latest from Polish maestro Jerzy Skolimowski, about a peeping Tom.