The job of festival ambassador at the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is somewhat like the role of a brand ambassador for a fashion house — it’s for a person who is required to both use the brand’s products and sell the image of the brand itself to the media. She (or on rare occasions, he) must be a shining representative of the brand to its fans and potential buyers.

So far, Ai Hashimoto has played her role splendidly for this year’s event, not only lending TIFF her star cachet but speaking glowingly of the festival to the press. In a statement for the media, she said she has “watched the utter commitment” of the festival organizers year after year. “I have always wished to work with such people and take action for the future of cinema,” she added.

TIFF will officially kick off on Oct. 30 with Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” as its opening film, and run through Nov. 8 with online showings and events as well as physical screenings at various locations around the Hibiya, Yurakucho and Ginza areas, closing with the Stephen Chbosky musical, “Dear Evan Hansen.”