The Tokyo Film Festival will review its 39th edition and reassess its position on the international festival circuit ahead of its 40th anniversary next year. Festival director Hisamatsu Takeo said the process would help determine the event’s direction for the coming decade, extending to its 50th edition.
Hisamatsu said the direction established through the review would help define the festival’s long-term course. He added that the current edition already reflects some of the priorities the team has begun to establish.
The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival features 204 films, up from 184 last year. However, the expanded programme comes as the festival considers how it should distinguish itself within an increasingly competitive international landscape.
“We are somehow in a competitive relationship with the Busan IFF, we’re close geographically and our dates are close too,” Hisamatsu said. “I think the time has come to re-examine where TIFF should position itself, both within Asia and within the world.”
The festival director believes Tokyo’s identity as a host city could play a more prominent role in shaping its international appeal. He pointed to the city’s combination of tradition and modernity, its varied cultural landscape and the intersection of mainstream entertainment with subculture as qualities that the festival could showcase more effectively.
“Vibrant, multifaceted” Tokyo offers a distinctive setting for an international film event, Hisamatsu said, and the festival wants to make better use of that identity as it considers its future direction.
The festival is organised by UniJapan, which also operates the TIFFCOM market and several international promotion and support programmes. Hisamatsu, who serves as UniJapan’s executive director, wants these three areas to work more closely together, creating stronger opportunities for filmmakers and producers.
A central challenge for film festivals is that they generally do not own the rights to the films they screen. A film’s prospects after its festival appearance therefore depend largely on its rights holders and distributors. Hisamatsu nevertheless wants UniJapan to play a more active role in helping Japanese films screened at the festival, including award-winning titles, reach their next stage of development and distribution.
Two initiatives are intended to support that objective. Nippon Cinema Now, the festival’s showcase for Japanese cinema, becomes a competitive section for the first time this year, introducing two new awards. The change gives the section a more prominent role within the festival’s programme and provides additional recognition for Japanese filmmakers.
The second initiative is TIFF Work-in-Progress, or TIFF-WIP, a programme designed to connect Japanese films still in production with international festivals and industry professionals. By raising the visibility of projects before completion, the programme aims to create opportunities for international exposure and overseas distribution.
Hisamatsu sees the festival’s role as extending in two directions: bringing international cinema to Japanese audiences and helping Japanese films reach audiences abroad. He believes the second responsibility is particularly important at present, given the growing international interest in Japanese filmmaking.
Japan was the Country of Honor at this year’s Cannes Film Market, while more than 30 Japanese films screened at the Busan International Film Festival. Hisamatsu also pointed to the arrival of new filmmaking talent and government support for the wider content industry as factors that could help Japanese cinema strengthen its international presence.
At the same time, he believes an international festival should not abandon the cultural identity that gives it a distinct character. Festivals may seek global relevance, but their connection to their home countries and cultures remains central to their appeal.
Hisamatsu said that even festivals described as international remain deeply rooted in their respective countries and cultures. A purely global orientation, he argued, would risk stripping them of that character. He believes a “glocal” perspective, combining local identity with international engagement, will become increasingly important.
The current edition’s selection also reflects the range of films the festival wants to bring to audiences. Its prominent screenings lean towards mainstream entertainment, offering a contrast to the arthouse programming for which Tokyo has become known.
Zeze Takahisa’s Sukiyaki opens the festival, while Yamazaki Takashi’s Godzilla Minus Zero serves as the centrepiece. Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony, directed by the filmmaker behind Train to Busan, closes the event.
Hisamatsu said the three films were selected individually from the titles considered by the festival, rather than as part of a deliberate effort to change its identity or shift its programming in a particular direction.
The distinction is important as Tokyo approaches its 40th edition. The festival is not presenting its current selection as a wholesale departure from its established identity, but it is using the edition to test how its programming, industry initiatives and relationship with the city can evolve.
The larger film lineup, the introduction of competition within Nippon Cinema Now and the launch of TIFF-WIP will all contribute to the review planned after the festival concludes. Together with closer coordination across UniJapan’s activities, these initiatives could help the organisation build stronger links between screening films, supporting filmmakers and creating opportunities for international distribution.
As the Tokyo International Film Festival approaches its 40th anniversary, its challenge will be to strengthen its international standing without losing the qualities that distinguish it from other major festivals. Hisamatsu’s proposed review will help determine how Tokyo can make its cultural identity a more visible part of its global role while supporting Japanese cinema’s ambitions beyond its domestic market.