The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce this year’s jury president for the Ethical Film Award.
 
The TIFF Ethical Film Award was launched in 2023 in partnership with Sumitomo Corporation, with the aim of raising awareness of social issues such as the environment, poverty and discrimination, and fostering understanding of diversity through film. From the titles selected for this year’s TIFF, three films that meet our ethical principles of “thoughts and actions that empathize with people, society and the environment” will be nominated, and the jury will select one film for the award.
 
Last year’s Ethical Film Award went to French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey, which earned the Golden Bear prize at the 74th Berlin Film Festival. This year’s nominations will be announced at the TIFF press conference on October 1. Ikeda Elaiza, celebrated for her diverse creative endeavors including acting, directing and musical performances, has been appointed president of the jury. Three members of the TIFF Student PR team will also serve on the jury to engage younger audiences.
 

 
TIFF Ethical Film Award Jury
President: Ikeda Elaiza (Actor, Singer, Director)
Jurors: 38th TIFF Student PR Team
Uozumi Soichiro (Keio Univ.), Sudo Rimi (Dokkyo Univ.), Tsumura Yuka (Toyo Univ.)
 
The TIFF Ethical Film Award ceremony and talk session with jury president Ikeda Elaiza will take place on November 4. (Details will be announced on TIFF’s website at a later date.)
 
Comment from Ikeda Elaiza
I hold a sincere belief in cinema’s power to drive global change. Each film, a meticulously crafted creation, connects with audiences through screens, especially when viewed through an “ethical” lens. This award is more than just cinematic evaluation; it’s a hope and a declaration for the future. As jury president, I will approach every selected film with full dedication and sincerity.
 
Ikeda Elaiza Profile
Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Ikeda Elaiza made her film acting debut in 2011. In recent years, she has appeared in numerous popular TV series and films such as Tokyo Swindlers (2024), Diamond Sleeping in the Sea (2024), and starred in Rewrite (2025). She also starred in the series The Great Passage, which won the intermedia-globe Gold Award at the World Media Festival 2025 in Germany. Her directorial debut feature Town Without Sea (2020), set in Fukuoka Prefecture, was officially selected for the Cinema Fest section at the 21st Jeonju International Film Festival, and the International Panorama section at the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival. The film also earned her the Elle Girl New Director Award at the Elle Cinema Awards 2020. In 2022, her short film Good Night Phoenix, depicting the profound theme of receiving lives through the act of eating, was included in the popular omnibus Mirrorliar Films Season 4.