Entertainment · Film · 4 hrs ago
Tokyo Film Festival opens with 204 films and plans for a global review
The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival opened in Tokyo on Oct.
26, with stars and fans braving heavy rain at the red carpet.
The festival runs until Nov.
4 and features 204 films from 112 countries and regions, including 35 world premieres.
Its centerpiece screening on Nov.
1 is Godzilla Minus Zero, a new film featuring Japan’s best-known movie monster.
Festival director Hisamatsu Takeo says organizers will review the festival’s global standing after this edition and consider where it should sit in Asia and the wider world before its 40th anniversary next year.
The festival is also trying to help Japanese films reach overseas audiences, including through a new program that connects films in production with international festivals and industry figures.
Hisamatsu says the festival must bring foreign films to local audiences while also helping Japanese films take their next step abroad.
Tokyo International Film Festival director Hisamatsu Takeo says the festival will reassess its international position after its 39th edition.
The review is intended to help shape the festival’s direction through its 50th edition.
Hisamatsu says Tokyo should strengthen its profile in Asia and globally while making more of the city’s distinct character.
The festival has expanded this year to 204 films, up from 184 last year.
New initiatives aim to help Japanese films reach international festivals and audiences.
- Who
- Tokyo International Film Festival, led by director Hisamatsu Takeo.
- What
- The festival plans to review its international standing and decide how it should position itself.
- When
- After the 39th edition concludes, ahead of its 40th anniversary next year.
- Where
- Tokyo, Japan; the review concerns the festival’s place in Asia and the wider world.
- Why
- Hisamatsu says the review will help define the festival’s direction for the next decade.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival opened in Tokyo.
The festival plans to review its international position.
The festival is due to mark its 40th anniversary.
- Current edition
- 39th Tokyo International Film Festival
- Program size
- 204 films, up from 184 last year
- Review timing
- After the 39th edition concludes
- Next anniversary
- 40th edition next year
- New showcase format
- Nippon Cinema Now becomes competitive for the first time
4 sources
東京国際映画祭始まる 雨天も人気俳優らが登場
Tokyo Film Festival Opens With ‘Sukiyaki’ and a Plea for Peace as Japan’s Government Restates Global Content Ambitions
Tokyo Film Festival Kicks Off With Rain-Soaked Red Carpet, Japanese Stars and ‘Godzilla 2’ Anticipation
What people are saying
I believe the direction we establish through that process will also help define TIFF’s course for the next decade, leading up to its 50th edition.
I think the time has come to re-examine where TIFF should position itself, both within Asia and within the world.
Tokyo has a distinctive appeal of its own: it’s a vibrant, multifaceted city where tradition and modernity coexist, and mainstream culture intersects with subculture.