Tokyo Film Festival reveals competition list

[FWN Adm]

The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today revealed the lineup for its 37th edition, which includes world premieres of features from China, Japan and Hong Kong among its competition strands. The festival, which is set to run from October 28 to November 6, will include 120 films and three series across the 10 main sections. The selection was made from 2,023 entries, up from 1,942 last year.

The majority of the 15-strong Competition strand hails from Asia with three films from Japan and three from China as well as titles from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Kazakhstan. At a press conference in Tokyo today, programming director Shozo Ichiyama said the lineup reflects his continuing priority of "not thinking about achieving a balance between countries and regions, but simply selecting the most interesting films". Ichiyama added that he prefers films with "new discoveries and things we haven't seen before" over those with high production value, as well as films that somehow represent or respond to anxieties about the present. The Asian Future competition, for rising Asian filmmakers who have directed up to three features, comprises 10 films, all of which are world premieres.

As previously announced, Kazuya Shiraishi's 11 Rebels is set to world premiere as the opening film of TIFF while Christophe Honoré's Marcello Mio will receive its Japan premiere as the closing feature. The festival's Nippon Cinema Now section, which focuses on new Japanese films, features five world premieres, including Underground by documentary filmmaker Oda Kaori, winner of the Pia Film Festival's Oshima Prize in 2020, and Or Utopia by Kim Yunsoo, who won the festival's Amazon Prime Video Take One Award in 2021.

This year's director in focus is Yu Irie, who debuted with 8000 Miles in 2009, winning the grand prize at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. Five of the director's films, including this year's A Girl Named Ann, will be screened.

The List of Competitors

Adios Amigo (Col)
Dir. Iván David Gaona

Big World (China)*
Dir. Yang Lina

Bury Your Dead (Bra)
Dir. Marco Dutra

Cadet (Kaz)*
Dir. Adilkhan Yerzhanov

Daughter's Daughter (Tai)
Dir. Huang Xi

The Englishman's Papers (Port)*
Dir. Sergio Graciano

In His Own Image (Fr)
Dir. Thierry de Peretti

Lust in the Rain (Japan-Tai)*
Dir. Shinzo Katayama

My Friend An Delie (China)*
Dir. Dong Zijian

Papa (HK)*
Dir. Philip Yung

Promise, I'll Be Fine (Slovakia-Czech)*
Dir. Katarína Gramatová

She Taught Me Serendipity (Japan)*
Dir. Ohku Akiko

Teki Cometh (Japan)*
Dir. Yoshida Daihachi

Traffic (Rom-Bel-Neth)
Dir. Teodora Ana Mihai

The Unseen Sister (China)
Dir. Midi Z

Asian Future

Apollon By Day Athena By Night (Turkey)
Dir. Emine Yildirim

Black Ox (Japan-Tai-US)
Dir. Tsuta Tetsuichiro

The Bora (Iran)
Dir. Mohammad Esmaeilie

Missing Child Videotape (Japan)
Dir. Kondo Ryota

Pavane For An Infant (Malay)
Dir. Chong Keat Aun

Sima's Song (Sp-Neth-Fr-Tai-Greece-Afg)
Dir. Roya Sadat

Three Castrated Goats (US)
Dir. Ye Xingyu

Valley Of The Shadow Of Death (HK)
Dirs Jeffery Lam Sen, Antonio Tam

The Vessel's Isle (US)
Dir. Wang Di

Wait Until Spring (Iran)
Dir. Ashkan Ashkani