Semih Kaplanoğlu’s Grain took the Grand Prix at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.

The story of a professor who takes a journey to find grain to save mankind in a future world plagued by food shortage, the film’s win was a unanimous choice, according to jury president Tommy Lee Jones.

“We were impressed with this film’s presentation of myth as reality, or the reality of myth,” Jones said.

The competition saw two double winners – Malaysia’s Aqérat (We The Dead) won the best director prize for Edmund Yeo and one of the four inaugural Tokyo Gemstone Awards – designated for up-and-coming actors in the official selections – for star Daphne Low. China’s The Looming Storm (暴雪將至) earned the best actor award for star Duan Yihong and the award for Best Artistic Contribution.

Crater won the Special Jury Prize; Adeline D’Hermy won best actress for Maryline; Euthanizer won the WOWOW best screenplay award; and local romcom Tremble All You Want (勝手にふるえてろ) won the audience award.

In the Asian Future category, Akio Fujimoto’s Passage of Life (僕の帰る場所) – the story of a Burmese family living in Japan – won both the category’s top prize and the Spirit of Asia Award presented by the Japan Foundation. Zhou Ziyang’s Old Beast (老獸) received a special mention.

In the Japanese Cinema Splash section, documentary Of Love and Law won the top prize in the section.

More coverage of the Tokyo International Film Festival to come later this week on Asia in Cinema

Grain wins top award at Tokyo Festival