Actor and director Eiji Okuda (59) will be serving as one of the judges in the competition category of the 33rd Montreal World Film Festival, which begins on August 27. He is the first Japanese director to be chosen as a judge.

This year, two Japanese films have been entered into competition: Kichitaro Negishi's "Viyon no Tsuma: Outou to Tanpopo" and Miwa Nishikawa's "Dear Doctor." The latter stars comedian Tsurube Shofukutei, who is friends with Okuda.

Okuda himself is no stranger to Montreal. In 2006, he won the festival's top prize with his film "A Long Walk" ("Nagai Sanpo"), starring Ken Ogata. He also appears in Sion Sono's "Be Sure to Share" ("Chanto Tsutaeru"), which will be screened in the Focus on World Cinema section this year.