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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 showcase feature films that were completed after January 2025. Following a rigorous screening process, fifteen films were chosen from around the world for this section. This year TIFF received 1,970 entries from 108 countries and regions. The Competition Jury, comprised of international cineastes, will award the prizes to the winners at the Closing Ceremony.
The motto for the Asian Future section is "From Asia to the World! From Asia to the Future!" This year marks the 12th edition of the section since its inception at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2013. Asian Future is a competitive section that features work from up-and-coming Asian directors, including those from Japan and the Middle East, who have directed no more than three feature-length films. The top film will be awarded the "Asian Future Best Film Award." This year all 10 films including two Japanese films competing in the section will have their highly anticipated world premiere. This year, there is also Asian Future Special Opening Film out of the competition.
The Gala Selection premieres the latest films ahead of their Japanese release. 13 films will be showcased this year to bring additional excitement to the festival. These include the films that has created a buzz in international film festivals around the world, the latest films from internationally renowned auteurs, and entertainment films that were massive hits in their home countries.
Established in 2024 with support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, TIFF's Women' s Empowerment section will highlight films directed by female filmmakers and / or female-focused films. Year two amplifies the world’s real diversity, from migration and teen love to disability, child labor, conflict, displacement, and the career-versus-motherhood dilemma. The program extends off-screen with Q&As, curated talks, and the symposium "From Tokyo to the World—Japanese Women Producers Go Global".
The World Focus section showcases films that reflect the current trends in world cinema. We will also feature a variety of special screenings, including TIFF/NFAJ Classics: Brazil Film Week: commemorating 130 years of diplomatic relations, Taiwan Cinema Renaissance 2025 and Wallonia-Brussels: Focus on French-speaking Belgium.
The Youth section delivers opportunities for young audience to experience the wonders of cinema. In "TIFF 2025: Teens Meet Cinema," junior high and high school students are given a limited amount of time to make a film, which will be showcased on the screen. "TIFF Children" will be screening silent classics with live performances. In “TIFF Teens,” the section will select from a roster of highly acclaimed international film festival entries to showcase films that are sure to inspire the participating teenagers. As a new initiative, we will also hold the "TIFF Teens Cine Club" viewing workshop for participants of the "TIFF 2025: Teens Meet Cinema", along with a related talk session.
Nippon Cinema Now will select from new Japanese films it deems imperative to introduce to international audiences.
We will screen a variety of films, including fresh new films and sincere documentaries.
The Animation section will screen 11 films, including the latest Japanese and international releases. Additionally, as we approach the 80th anniversary of the end of the Asia-Pacific War, we will feature "Momotaro, Sacred Sailors" as a retrospective. Three animation-related symposiums will also take place.
This section screens classic Japanese film masterpieces. This year, we will feature films by directors Shinoda Masahiro, who passed away in this March, Naruse Mikio, Suo Masayuki, and Iwai Shunji, as well as present a special feature commemorating the 100th anniversary of Mishima Yukio's birth. Additionally, we will hold a special screening of a documentary about director Ozu Yasujiro.
TIFF Series is a section that showcases outstanding TV and internet series before their release in Japan.
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
