The 10-day festival opened in Tokyo with 204 films on its programme, an international competition spanning 15 titles and a renewed effort to connect Japanese cinema with audiences overseas.
TOKYO — The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival opened on Monday, October 26, bringing filmmakers, actors and industry figures to central Tokyo for the start of a 10-day programme that combines international competition, Japanese cinema and some of the country’s most commercially prominent screen properties.
Rain accompanied much of the opening red carpet at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, where 262 guests took part before the opening ceremony moved inside to Hulic Hall Tokyo. Festival organisers recorded 214 members of the press covering the red carpet and ceremony, with 620 spectators attending the outdoor event.
The weather did little to narrow the international scope of the evening. Filmmakers and performers representing films from Japan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Iran, Kazakhstan, Belgium and elsewhere appeared alongside members of the festival’s competition juries.
Among the international guests was a delegation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences led by CEO Bill Kramer. TIFF described the visit as the Academy’s first participation in an international film festival. Kramer is also taking part in the festival’s Academy in Tokyo programme.
Australian filmmaker Rolf de Heer leads this year’s International Competition jury, joined by Korean producer Oh Jungwan, Japanese actor Makiko Watanabe, colorist Yov Moor and producer Alex Lo. Speaking at the opening, de Heer reflected on the influence Japanese filmmakers have had on generations of international directors.
The festival itself is operating on a substantial scale this year. TIFF will screen 204 films during its October 26-November 4 run, with events spread across the Hibiya, Yurakucho, Marunouchi and Ginza areas. Fifteen films are competing for the Tokyo Grand Prix and other International Competition awards, selected from 1,892 submissions from 112 countries and regions.
Japan’s film industry takes a prominent role
The opening ceremony also placed the international reach of Japanese film and entertainment near the centre of the evening.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appeared in a video message, describing film as a medium capable of connecting people across national and cultural boundaries. Her remarks also linked cinema to the government’s broader effort to expand Japan’s creative industries overseas.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa similarly pointed to the recent commercial performance of Japanese films and franchises, including the Kingdom series and Godzilla.
That connection between the festival and Japan’s increasingly international screen business is visible throughout this year’s programme.
Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero has been selected as TIFF’s Centrepiece and will screen on November 1. It follows Godzilla Minus One, which became the first film in the franchise to win an Academy Award when it took the Oscar for visual effects in 2024.
At the other end of the festival, Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony will serve as the closing film on November 4.
TIFF opened, however, with a distinctly Japanese story.
Takahisa Zeze’s Sukiyaki received its world premiere as the opening film. The musical drama revisits the story surrounding “Ue o Muite Aruko,” the Japanese song recorded by Kyu Sakamoto that became an international hit under the title “Sukiyaki” and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in 1963.
The film stars Taiga Nakano as Sakamoto, Junichi Okada as composer Hachidai Nakamura and Tori Matsuzaka as lyricist Rokusuke Ei. Zeze and members of the cast attended the opening.
The choice gives TIFF an opening film rooted in Japanese cultural history but built around a story that travelled far beyond Japan, fitting a festival that is putting greater emphasis this year on how Japanese cinema circulates internationally.
A broader definition of a film festival
The 39th edition also marks the return of Takeo Hisamatsu as festival director. Hisamatsu previously led TIFF from 2017 to 2021 and returned to the position this year following the departure of Hiroyasu Ando.
Ahead of the opening, Hisamatsu said one of his priorities was to make greater use of growing international interest in Japanese cinema. While introducing international films to Japanese audiences remains part of TIFF’s mission, he has argued that the festival also has an opportunity to give Japanese filmmakers a stronger platform abroad.
There is a visible programming component to that approach.
Alongside the International Competition and established arthouse programming, this year’s festival gives prominent positions to films with wider commercial recognition. Sukiyaki opens the festival, Godzilla Minus Zero occupies the Centrepiece slot and Colony closes the programme.
Hisamatsu has also spoken about making TIFF feel more like a public celebration rather than an event aimed primarily at dedicated cinephiles. That does not amount to abandoning the festival’s discovery role. Instead, the 2026 programme places mainstream entertainment alongside international competition, emerging filmmakers and repertory cinema.
Seven of the 15 International Competition films are world premieres. The Nippon Cinema Now section, devoted to emerging Japanese filmmakers, has also become competitive this year, while the new Crosscut Asia+ programme turns attention toward Southeast Asian cinema.
TIFF is adding an industry component for unfinished Japanese projects as well. TIFF-WIP will present eight works in progress to festival programmers, sales companies and other industry professionals on October 31, giving projects an opportunity to seek international partners before their premieres.
The festival’s industry activity will expand further when TIFFCOM, its affiliated content market, runs from October 28 to 30.
For now, the opening night placed the films themselves at the front of the picture. Despite steady rain, the long red carpet in Hibiya brought together Japanese stars, international filmmakers, competition jurors and industry representatives before the first screenings began.
The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival runs through November 4 in Tokyo.
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