October 17-18 agenda: Tokyo International Film Festival

Weekend selection: the third biggest international film festival in Tokyo, an Hindu festival worldwide, the fashion event of the year in Russia, International arts in Shanghai, and more.

Tokyo International Film Festival
October 17 - 25
Tokyo/Japan

For the 22nd celebration of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), 15 titles from 743 entries coming from 81 countries will compete for the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix. Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - famous for winning the best director award at Cannes in 2006 for Babel - will be president of the competition jury.
http://www.tiff-jp.net/en

Diwali Hindu festival
October 17
India and World

Celebrated on October 17 this year, Diwali, which can be translated as "Festival of Lights", is a significant Hindu festival throughout the world and an official holiday in India itself. The festival is celebrated for five continuous days, where the third day is celebrated as the main Diwali festival. Different colorful varieties of fireworks are associated with the event, as well as people lighting up candles all around their houses, praying and exchanging gifts.
http://www.diwalifestival.org

Head of the Charles rowing Regatta
October 17-18
Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA

The 45th edition of the world's largest two-day regatta in Boston and Cambridge sees the novel introduction of what has been called "the great eight"' - an eight-man boat made up of the 2008 Olympic Single Sculls finalists, who will compete against national boats from the US, Great Britain and France.
http://www.hocr.org/home/default.asp

Russian Fashion Week
October 17-23
Moscow/Russia

The most important fashion event in Eastern Europe, especially in terms of buying power, is hosting shows by Zandra Rhodes, Jenny Packham, Catherine Malandrino, and Francesco Smalto this season.
Event Dates at http://russianfashionweek.com

National Design Week in the US
October 18-24
USA

The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, a member of the Smithsonian Institution, hosts a series of programs focused on design, offering free admission to design museums across the USA. In New York, the week starts with a Teen Design Fair and closes with the National Design Awards gala, chaired by architect Richard Meier.
http://www.nationaldesignawards.org/2009/nationaldesignweek

China Shanghai International Arts Festival
October 18 - November 18
Shanghai/China

The 11th edition of this major art festival in Shanghai features classical ballet, dance, music, opera, drama, art exhibitions, puppets, magic and a youth piano competition, as well as traditional Chinese arts and performances. More than 18,000 artists and two million people from around the world have attended Shanghai's biggest art festival since its inception in 1999.
http://www.artsbird.com