37th Tokyo International Film Festival

The 37th Tokyo International Film Festival took place from 28 October to 6 November. This edition, introduced a new 'Women's Empowerment' section and showcased the works of director Yu Irie, a Japanese film director and screenwriter in its 'Nippon Cinema Now' strand. Hong Kong actor and singer Tony Leung served as jury president.

The festival opened with Japanese samurai, period action film 11 Rebels by Kazuya Shiraishi, and a unique mix of video, music, and dance, featuring performances by Sarah Àlainn, Leo, KAF, Oi Kazuya, and dancers Ikeda Mika and Suzuki Yohei. A video introduction followed, showcasing the lineup and upcoming awards, with KAF acting as master of ceremonies alongside Leo and Oi.

Béla Tarr a Hungarian filmmaker, was honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award during a Special Talk event at the festival, held on November 1.

The festival closed on 6 November with Marcello Mio, a comedy film directed by French director and writer Christophe Honoré and starring French actresses Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve. It screened 208 films, with 61,576 admissions and another 96,866 people attending related events. Teki Cometh a Japanese film by Daihachi Yoshida was awarded Tokyo Grand Prix award.

Overview

The film registration for the festival began in April 2024 with the closing date for submission fixed for July 8, 2024.

The official poster for the festival was created by fashion designer Koshino Junko, who has designed TIFF's visuals since 2021 and features Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi. She has also been appointed this year's festival navigator. She will "navigate" the audience at official events as the face of the festival.

A new section 'Women's Empowerment' was introduced this year, which will highlight features made by female directors as well as female-focused films. Andrijana Cvetkovik, a film director and former Macedonian ambassador to Japan will serve as the Women's Empowerment senior programmer and select seven new films to be showcased as the main feature. In addition, a symposium and special screening with talk session focusing on related themes will also be held.

On 11 September 2024, opening and closing films of the festival were announced. On 20 September Gala Selection and trailer with festival Song was unveiled. The full lineup was announced on 25 September 2024, lining up 110 films for showcasing in the festival.

Juries

The juries consists of the following members:

Main competition

Tony Leung, Hong Kong actor and singer – Jury president
Johnnie To, Hong Kong filmmaker
Ildikó Enyedi, Hungarian film director and screenwriter.
Ai Hashimoto, Japanese actress, fashion model and singer.
Chiara Mastroianni, French actress and singer

TIFF Ethical Film Award

Takumi Saitoh, Japanese actor and filmmaker, President of the jury

Opening and closing ceremonies

The opening ceremony took place at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater on 28 October, with a distinctive blend of video, music, and dance, highlighting performances by vocalist-violinist Sarah Àlainn, koto player Leo, virtual singer KAF, drummer Oi Kazuya, and dancers Ikeda Mika and Suzuki Yohei. A video introduction followed, presenting the festival's lineup and upcoming awards, with KAF serving as the emcee alongside Leo and Oi. The closing ceremony was held at Toho Cinemas Hibiya on 6 November. It opened with a video showcasing festival highlights, featuring clips and snapshots from indoor and outdoor stage events, Question & Answer sessions, masterclasses, symposia, and TIFF Lounge discussions. Awards were then announced, concluding with the Tokyo Grand Prix, which went to Daihachi Yoshida’s Teki Cometh, accompanied by a prize of ¥3 million.

Events

Kering “Women In Motion”: A talk session focusing on women in arts and culture on 1 November 2024 at TOHO Cinemas Nihonbashi Screen7. The talk will feature actor Rinko Kikuchi, actor Hayato Isomura and Netflix producer Okano Makiko.

MPA seminar: It will focus on the latest trends in international production, such as the use of Generative AI and VFX technologies to enhance production.

TIFF Lounge Co-presented by The Japan Foundation & Tokyo International Film Festival: A place for filmmakers in Tokyo to interact with each other, where various talk events will be held under the planning of the committee members.
- Conversation between Payal Kapadia and Kore-eda Hirokazu on 29 October
- Conversation between Eric Khoo and Mike Wiluan on 30 October
- Conversation between Johnnie To and Irie Yu on 31 October
- Nippon Cinema Now Talk Session: How We Make Films on 1 November
- Conversation between Nia Dinata and Yukiko Mishima on 3 November

Screening venues

The following 8 venues will host the festival screenings.

Marunouchi TOEI
Marunouchi Piccadilly
Toho Cinemas Hibiya
Yurakucho Yomiuri Hall
Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho
Humantrust Cinema Yurakucho
Cine Switch Ginza
Toho Cinemas, Chanter

Official Selection

The festival from this year will consist of ten main sections.

International Competition
Asian Future
Gala Selection
World Focus
Nippon Cinema Now
Animation
Japanese Classics
Youth
TIFF Series
Women's Empowerment

Opening and closing films

Source:

International Competition

Asian Future

The following films were selected to compete in the Asian Future section, which features films from Asian directors who have directed a maximum of three feature films.

Gala Selection

The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Gala Selection.

World Focus

The following films were selected for the World Focus section, which focuses on international films.

Nippon Cinema Now

The following films were selected for Nippon Cinema Now, which will showcase the works of director Yu Irie, a Japanese film director and screenwriter.

Animation

The following films were selected for the Animation section.

Japanese Classics

The following films were selected for the Japanese Classics section.

Youth

The following films were selected for the Youth section.

TIFF Series

The following television series were selected for the TIFF Series section.

Women’s Empowerment

The following films were screened as a part of new section introduced this year selected by Andrijana Cvetkovikj, a film director and former Macedonian ambassador to Japan.