Godzilla Minus Zero brings blockbuster attention to Tokyo, while a 15-film international competition and new initiatives for Japanese and Asian filmmakers give the festival a much wider programme.
The Tokyo International Film Festival opened its 39th edition this week with 204 films across its programme. Beyond the opening-night attention, the next ten days bring together one of Japan’s biggest film franchises, a 15-title international competition and several new initiatives intended to give Japanese and Asian filmmakers greater international exposure.
The most immediately recognisable title is Godzilla Minus Zero, Takashi Yamazaki’s follow-up to Godzilla Minus One. Selected as this year’s Centrepiece, the film will screen at TIFF on November 1 before Toho releases it in Japan on November 3.
Yamazaki again serves as director, screenwriter and visual-effects supervisor, with Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe in the lead roles.
The film follows the international success of Godzilla Minus One, which won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2024, the first film in the Godzilla franchise to win an Oscar. According to TIFF, Godzilla Minus Zero is also the first Japanese production to be Filmed for IMAX.
Its placement at the centre of the festival puts a major Japanese commercial title alongside TIFF’s international competition and independent cinema programme.
That combination is particularly visible this year. Festival director Takeo Hisamatsu, who returned to the position in 2026 after previously leading TIFF from 2017 to 2021, has said he wants to strike a balance between arthouse and entertainment cinema, with this year’s programme leaning somewhat more toward entertainment.
The three headline screenings reflect that approach. Takahisa Zeze’s musical drama Sukiyaki opened the festival on October 26. Godzilla Minus Zero occupies the Centrepiece slot, while Yeon Sang-ho’s Korean action thriller Colony will close the festival on November 4.
But the International Competition remains at the core of TIFF.
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