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Films
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TIFF Sections / Programming DirectorTIFF Sections
Main Sections
TIFF will showcase its selection of films in eleven diverse main sections.
The Competition section will screen 15 films carefully selected from among the many submissions to this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, including eight world premieres and seven Asian premieres. On the final day of the festival, we will hold the award ceremony, where the five jury members will present the Tokyo Grand Prix and Special Jury Prize as well as Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Artistic Contribution Awards. Chinese cinema, which made a significant impact last year, will again be represented with two films. Additionally, three films from Southeast Asia are included this year, compared to none last year. Please also note that two films are in the documentary category. Please discover on screen how each filmmaker, with the world in turmoil, is facing social issues and what cinematic techniques they use to depict these issues.
Ichiyama Shozo
Programming Director
The Asian Future section, launched at the 26th TIFF in 2013, is a competition section for films from Asia (including Japan and the Middle East), by directors with up to three feature films to their credit. Ten films, all world premieres, including two by Japanese directors, will compete for the Asian Future Best Film Award. Director Fujimoto Akio, whose Lost Land won an award this year at Venice International Film Festival, began his career in this section, at TIFF 2016, when his debut film Passage of Life was premiered and won the Best Film Award. This year again, the lineup features ambitious films by emerging talents who are truly shaping the future of Asian film—some explore new forms of cinema and others question the nature of communication with others. Additionally, an out-of-competition special opening film will be screened: Journey into Sato Tadao, which traces the journey of the film critic who passionately dedicated himself to fostering cultural exchange with the Asian film world.
Ishizaka Kenji
Senior Programmer
The Gala Selection category features a total of 14 films. Among them are many popular works from film festivals around the world, like Eddington, Sirat and Sons of the Neon Night, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, She Has No Name, the opening film of the Shanghai International Film Festival, Rental Family from the Toronto International Film Festival and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, screened at the New York Film Festival. In addition, starting with Love on Trial from the Cannes Film Festival, we have prepared an exciting selection of brand-new Japanese films featuring celebrated actors and actresses.
Ichiyama Shozo
Programming Director
World Focus introduces films which represent current trends in world cinema. This year, we selected films which were much discussed at various international film festivals, including Berlin, Cannes, and Locarno. As in previous years, the screenings of four films will be co-sponsored by Latin Beat Film Festival, which has introduced excellent films from Spain and Latin America. This year, to commemorate the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Brazil, we will hold the “TIFF/NFAJ Classics: Brazil Film Week” which features six films ranging from classics to the latest releases. Additionally, we will feature four new Taiwanese films in the Taiwanese Cinema Renaissance 2025 program, and two films from Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium. Each film undoubtedly offers a glimpse into various facets of the contemporary world. Many of the films have yet to be released in cinemas in Japan, and we hope the screenings at TIFF will catalyze their theatrical release in Japan.
Ichiyama Shozo
Programming Director
Nippon Cinema Now is the section showcasing the newest releases in Japanese cinema. When selecting titles, we prioritized movies that we believed should be introduced to global audiences. Among the nine selected works are film dramas, documentaries, and international co-productions, making the lineup quite colorful this year, with a number of strikingly innovative works, unrestrained by traditional filmmaking methods. We hope that these screenings will give this new generation of talented Japanese film directors the chance to show off their work at other international film festivals in the future.
Ichiyama Shozo
Programming Director
The Animation section will feature a program called Intersection of Visions, encompassing five international and five Japanese films. For the foreign selections, we settled on works that explore the theme of “my relationship with the world" from different angles. For the domestic selection, we picked movies that showcase the depth and expressiveness of Japanese animation. In addition, we will have a screening of the 4K Restoration of Angel's Egg, a film that is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its premiere this year. In the retrospective program, we will be screening Japan's first full-length animated movie, Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, released in 1945, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Fujitsu Ryota
Programming Advisor
In celebration of the 120th anniversary of legendary director Naruse Mikio's birth, we will be screening 4K digitally remastered versions of three of his films, including his masterpiece, Floating Clouds. We will also be showing three notable works by director Shinoda Masahiro in memory of his passing this spring, as well as three works based on literary genius Mishima Yukio's novels, and a documentary based on his life to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. This year's selection is complete with works by directors Iwai Shunji and Suo Masayuki, as well as a special screening of a documentary on director Ozu Yasujiro, creating a magnificent lineup that you don't get to see every year.
Ichiyama Shozo
Programming Director
For this section, we have selected three must-see movies for teenagers. Just as before, this year's chosen works are powerful pieces that are highly recommended not just for teens but for movie fans of any age. In addition, we are also holding “TIFF Teens Cine Club 2025 Presentation” this year, where actor Ikematsu Sosuke and junior high school students who participated in TIFF 2025: Teens Meet Cinema watch a movie from this section together and freely discuss their opinions on it.
Ichiyama Shozo
Programming Director
Recent years have seen a rise in the number of serialized works intended for television broadcasting and online streaming, and some among them even rival theatrical films in quality. TIFF Series is a section that aims to introduce these outstanding works from the medium. At this year's festival, we will have a screening of Scandal Eve, a thriller drama made by AbemaTV, which sheds light on the dark side of the entertainment industry.
Ichiyama Shozo
Programming Director
Founded in 2024 with support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Women’s Empowerment section enters its second year with renewed momentum. The lineup features women-directed works from Spain, Hong Kong, Turkey/Afghanistan, Egypt, and Tibetan communities in Canada, plus two contemporary Japanese titles. Stories span migration, teen love, disability, child labor, war and displacement, and the dilemma of choosing career over motherhood. This year we aim to connect, inspire, and spark powerful change—fueling dialogue, partnerships, and international co-productions.
Andrijana Cvetkovikj
Senior Programmer
A student film competition of live-action and animated works under 60 minutes, recommended by film schools across Asia. The lineup includes award-winners from Cannes and other film festivals. TIFF will showcase its selection of films in eleven diverse main sections
Ichiyama Shozo
Born in 1963. As a producer for Shochiku Co., Ltd. and Office Kitano Inc., Ichiyama mainly produced works by the non-Japanese filmmakers. His major films include Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Flowers of Shanghai (1998), Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize-winning director Samira Makhmalbaf's Blackboards (2000), and Cannes Film Festival Best Screenplay winner A Touch of Sin (2013) directed by Jia Zhangke. He was also in charge of selecting films for the Tokyo International Film Festival from 1992 to 1999. In 2000, he launched the Film Festival Tokyo FILMeX and served as the director. Since 2013, he has been a visiting professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media. He is the recipient of the 2019 Kawakita Award. He was appointed Programming Director of the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2021.
Ishizaka Kenji
Born in 1960. Ishizaka began critiquing Asian and documentary films after majoring in film studies in Waseda University’s Graduate School. He planned and managed an Asia-Middle East Film Festival Series from 1990 to 2007 for the Japan Foundation.
Ishizaka has been serving as Asian Section's Programming Director for TIFF since its 20th edition in 2007. He has been serving as Senior Programmer since 2020. He concurrently holds the position of professor and dean of the Japan Institute of the Moving Image. He has written several books, including “Amidst the Ocean of the Documentary,” published by Gendaishokan Co., Ltd.
Fujitsu Ryota
Animation critic. Born in 1968 in Shizuoka prefecture. Originally a newspaper reporterand weekly magazine editor, Fujitsu started writing about animation in 2000. Fujitsu's works include books such as "Anime Hyoronka Sengen – Revised Edition" (Chikuma Bunko), "Anime to Senso" (Nihon Hyoronsha), "Tomino Yoshiyuki Ron" (Chikumashobo). He serves as lecturer at Tokyo Polytechnic University.
Andrijana Cvetkovikj
Andrijana Cvetkovikj is a filmmaker, professor, entrepreneur, and Macedonia's former—and first—ambassador to Japan. A WIN Inspiring Women Worldwide awardee (2021), she holds a Ph.D. in Cinema Studies from Nihon University and has served as a Visiting Professor at Kyoto University. She is the founder & CEO of BrioNexus, a Tokyo-based corporation. At the Tokyo International Film Festival, she serves as Senior Programmer for the Women's Empowerment section and chaired TIFFCOM's "Generative A.I, in Cinema: Opportunities, Threats, and the Future Landscape" symposium. Her films have received the Japan Association of Audiovisual Producers' Award of Excellence. A frequent speaker at the World Economic Forum and UN conferences, she was Chief Curator of SDGs in Motion (TIFF 2023) and a jury member for the Amazon Prime Video Take One Award (2021).
With the support of external experts with a wide range of knowledge, connections, and diverse values, the films to be showcased this year were selected.
Ando Kohei
Emeritus Professor at Waseda University
Kimbara Yuka
Journalist
Sekiguchi Yuko
Journalist
