Story Categories: Festivals, Film, Japan, Tokyo,

TOKYO -- Francois Girard's period drama "Silk" will be the closing film of the Tokyo International Film Festival, fest officials announced on Tuesday. The pic stars Michael Pitt as a 19th Century silkworm smuggler to who travels to Japan on business with his young wife (Keira Knightley), but becomes attracted to the mistress (Sei Ashina) of a local baron. The pic will screen at TIFF on October 28.

Produced by a Canada-led international consortium, the pic is biggest yet for Canuck helmer Francois Girard, whose credits include "The Red Violin" (1998) and "Thirty Two Short Films about Glenn Gould" (1993). It will have its world preem at the Toronto Film Festival, while Alliance Atlantis will release in Canada, Picturehouse Entertainment in the US and Asmik Ace in Japan.