# 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 [ja], 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:
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country(ies) |
| Opening film ||||
| 11 Rebels | 十一人の賊軍 | Kazuya Shiraishi | Japan |
| Centerpiece Screening ||||
| Gladiator II | Gladiator II | Ridley Scott | United States, United Kingdom |
| Closing film ||||
| Marcello Mio | Marcello Mio | Christophe Honoré | France, Italy |

### International Competition

| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| Adios Amigo | | Iván David Gaona | Colombia |
| Big World | | Yang Lina | China |
| Bury Your Dead | Enterre Seus Mortos | Marco Dutra | Brazil |
| Cadet | | Adilkhan Yerzhanov | Kazakhstan |
| Daughter's Daughter | 女兒的女兒 | Huang Xi | Taiwan |
| The Englishman's Papers | Os Papéis do Inglês | Sérgio Graciano | Portugal |
| In His Own Image | | Thierry de Peretti | France |
| Lust in the Rain | 雨中的慾情 | Katayama Shinzo | Japan, Taiwan |
| My Friend Andre | 我的朋友安德烈 | Dong Zijian | China |
| Papa | 爸爸 | Philip Yung | Hong Kong |
| Promise, I'll Be Fine | | Katarína Gramatová | Slovakia, Czech |
| She Taught Me Serendipity | 今日の空が一番好き、とまだ言えない僕は | Akiko Ōku | Japan |
| Teki Cometh | 敵 | Daihachi Yoshida | Japan |
| Traffic | | Teodora Ana Mihai | Romania, Belgium, Netherlands |
| The Unseen Sister | 乔妍的心事 | Midi Z | China |

### 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.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| Apollon by Day Athena by Night | | Emine Yildirim Gaona | Turkey |
| Black Ox | | Tsuta Tetsuichiro | Japan, Taiwan, United States |
| The Bora | | Mohammad Esmaeilie | Iran |
| Pavane for an Infant | 搖籃凡世 | Chong Keat Aun | Malaysia |
| Sima's Song | Sima's Song | Roya Sadat | Spain, Netherlands, France, Taiwan, Greece, Afghanistan |
| The Vessel's Isle | 不游海水的鲸 | Wang Di | United States |
| Three Castrated Goats | 三个羯子 | Ye Xingyu | United States |
| Missing Child Videotape | ミッシング・チャイルド・ビデオテープ | Kondo Ryota | Japan |
| Valley of the Shadow of Death | 不赦之罪 | Jeffrey Lam Sen, Antonio Tam | Hong Kong |
| Wait Until Spring | | Ashkan Ashkani | Iran |

### Gala Selection

The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Gala Selection.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| Black Dog | 狗阵 | Guan Hu | China |
| Emmanuelle | Emmanuelle | Audrey Diwan | France |
| Lumière! The Adventure Continues | Lumière! The Adventure Continues | Thierry Frémaux | France |
| Nightbitch | Nightbitch | Marielle Heller | United States |
| Orang Ikan | Orang Ikan | Mike Wiluan | Singapore, Indonesia, Japan United Kingdom |
| A Real Pain | A Real Pain | Jesse Eisenberg | USA, Poland |
| Route 29 | Route 29 | Morii Yusuke | Japan |
| Snowflowers: Seeds of Hope | 雪の花 –ともに在りて | Takashi Koizumi | Japan |
| The Solitary Gourmet | 孤独のグルメ | Yutaka Matsushige | Japan |
| Spirit World | Spirit World | Eric Khoo | France, Singapore, Japan |
| Sunset Sunrise | サンセット・サンライズ | Yoshiyuki Kishi | Japan |
| Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In | 九龍城寨之圍城 | Soi Cheang | Hong Kong |
| White Bird | White Bird | Marc Forster | United States |

### World Focus

The following films were selected for the World Focus section, which focuses on international films.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| 8½ | Otto e mezzo | Federico Fellini | Italy, France |
| Afternoons of Solitude | Tardes de soledad | Alberto Serra | Spain, France, Portugal |
| A River Without Tears | 怒江 | Liu Juan | China |
| Bogancloch | Bogancloch | Ben Rivers | United Kingdom, Germany, Iceland |
| A Brighter Tomorrow | Il sol dell'avvenire | Nanni Moretti | Italy, France |
| Bleak Street | La calle de la amargura | Arturo Ripstein | Spain, Mexico |
| The Castle of Purity | El castillo de la pureza | Arturo Ripstein | Mexico |
| Chain Reactions | Chain Reactions | Alexandre O. Philippe | United States |
| Dahomey | Dahomey | Mati Diop | Benin, France, Senegal |
| Dear Diary | Caro diario | Nanni Moretti | Italy, France |
| Deep Crimson | Profundo Carmesí | Arturo Ripstein | Mexico |
| Direct Action | Direct Action | Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell | Germany, France |
| Fire of Wind | Fogo do Vento | Marta Mateus | Portugal, Switzerland, France |
| Henry IV | Enrico IV | Marco Bellocchio | Italy |
| The Holy Office | El santo oficio | Arturo Ripstein | Mexico |
| Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 | Israel Palestina på svensk tv 1958-1989 | Göran Hugo Olsson | Sweden, Finland, Denmark |
| Kill the Jockey | El Jockey | Luis Ortega | Argentina, Spain, USA, Mexico, Denmark |
| La dolce vita | La dolce vita | Federico Fellini | Italian, English, French, German |
| The Last Dance | 破．地獄 | Anselm Chan Mou Yin | Hong Kong |
| Mostly Sunny | 阳光俱乐部 | Wei Shujun | China |
| Pepe | Pepe | Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias | Dominican Republic, Namibia, Germany, France |
| Phantosmia | Phantosmia | Lav Diaz | Philippines |
| The Place Without Limits | El lugar sin límites | Arturo Ripstein | Mexico |
| Red Wood Pigeon | Palombella rossa | Nanni Moretti | Italy |
| The Room Next Door | La habitación de al lado | Pedro Almodóvar | Spain |
| The Stranger | Lo straniero | Luchino Visconti | Italy |
| Sunflower | : I girasoli | Vittorio De Sica | Italian, Russian |
| The Wailing | El llanto | Pedro Martín-Calero | Spain, France, Argentina |

### 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.
| Year | English Title | Original Title |
| 2009 | 8000 Miles | SRサイタマノラッパー |
| 2010 | 8000 Miles 2: Girl Rappers | SRサイタマノラッパー |
| 2012 | Roadside Fugitive [ja] | SRサイタマノラッパー ロードサイドの逃亡者 |
| 2016 | The Sun (2016 film) [ja] | 太陽 |
| 2024 | A Girl Named Ann [ja] | あんのこと |

### Animation

The following films were selected for the Animation section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| A Few Moments of Cheers | 数分間のエールを | Popreq | Japan |
| Flow | Gints Zilbalodis | Straume | Latvia, France, Belgium |
| Olivia & the Clouds | Olivia & Las Nubes | Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat | Dominican Republic |
| Ghost Cat Anzu | 化け猫あんずちゃん | Yōko Kuno, Nobuhiro Yamashita | Japan, France |

### Japanese Classics

The following films were selected for the Japanese Classics section.
| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director(s) |
| 1965 | Abashiri Prison | 網走番外地 | Teruo Ishii |
| 1954 | Godzilla | ゴジラ | Ishirō Honda |
| 1964 | Japanese Yakuza | 日本俠客伝 | Masahiro Makino |
| 1966 | Nakano Spy School 4K Digital Remaster | 陸軍中野学校　4Kデジタル修復版 | Masumura Yasuzo |
| 1979 | Nomugi Pass Digitally Remastered in 4K | あゝ野麦峠　4Kデジタルリマスター版 | Yamamoto Satsuo |
| 1966 | The Red Angel 4K Digital Remaster | 赤い天使　4Kデジタル修復版 | Masumura Yasuzo |
| 1965 | The Wife of Seisaku | 清作の妻 | Masumura Yasuzo |
| 1965 | Wolves, Pigs and Men | 狼と豚と人間 | Fukasaku Kinji |

### Youth

The following films were selected for the Youth section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones | 开始的枪 | Qu Youjia | China |
| Special Voice Performance by Yamazaki Vanilla | 山崎バニラの活弁小絵巻 2024 | Yamazaki Vanilla | Japan |
| The Sparrow in the Chimney | Der Spatz im Kamin | Ramon Zürcher | Switzerland |
| TIFF 2024: Teens Meet Cinema | TIFFティーンズ映画教室2024 | | Japan |

### TIFF Series

The following television series were selected for the TIFF Series section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| Disclaimer | Disclaimer | Alfonso Cuarón | United States, Australia, Mexico |
| Scénarios & Exposé du film annonce du film "Scénario" | Scénarios & Exposé du film annonce du film "Scénario" | Jean-Luc Godard | France, Japan |
| The Dogs of Karma | | Shiraishi Koji | Japan |
| The New Years | Los años nuevos | Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Sandra Romero, David Martín de los Santos | Spain |

### Women’s Empowerment

The following films were screened as a part of new section introduced this year selected by Andrijana Cvetkovikj [ja], a film director and former Macedonian ambassador to Japan.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| Adabana | Adabana | Kai Sayaka | Japan, France |
| Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon | ドクターX〜外科医・大門未知子〜 | Tamura Naoki | Japan |
| In Ten Seconds | On Saniye | Ceylan Özgün Özçelik | Turkey |
| Ivo | Ivo | Eva Trobisch | Germany |
| Maydegol | Maydegol | Sarvnaz Alambeigi | France, Germany, Iran |
| Memories of a Burning Body | Memorias de un cuerpo que arde | Antonella Sudasassi Furniss | Costa Rica, Spain |
| Montages of a Modern Motherhood | 虎毒不 | Oliver Chan | Hong Kong |
| My Favourite Cake | کیک محبوب من | Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moqadam | Iran, France, Sweden, Germany |

### Searchlight Pictures 30th Anniversary Project

A special screening of six works of Searchlight Pictures to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024 will be screened.
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country(ies) |
| 2006 | Little Miss Sunshine | Little Miss Sunshine | Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris | United States |
| 2009 | 500 Days of Summer | 500 Days of Summer | Marc Webb | United States |
| 2014 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | The Grand Budapest Hotel | Wes Anderson | United States |
| 2017 | The Shape of Water | The Shape of Water | Guillermo del Toro | United States |
| 2018 | Isle of Dogs | Isle of Dogs | Wes Anderson | United States, Germany |
| 2019 | Jojo Rabbit | Jojo Rabbit | Taika Waititi | United States, New Zealand, Czech Republic |

### Akira Kurosawa's Favorite Films

The following films were screened as a part of a section consisting of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa favorite films.
| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
| 1960 | Breathless | À bout de souffle | Jean-Luc Godard | France |
| 1940 | The Great Dictator | The Great Dictator | Charlie Chaplin | United States |
| 1983 | Nostalghia | Nostalghia | Andrei Tarkovsky | Soviet Union, Italy |
| 1954 | Seven Samurai | 七人の侍 | Kurosawa Akira | Japan |
| 1985 | The Time to Live and the Time to Die | 童年往事 | Hou Hsiao-hsien | Taiwan |

## Special screening

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country(ies) |
| A Tapestry of a Legendary Land | 只此青绿 | Zhou Liya, Han Zhen | China |
| The Devil's Deal | 대외비 | Lee Won-tae | South Korea |
| Sidonie in Japan | Sidonie au Japon | Élise Girard | France |
| Venom: Let There Be Carnage | Venom: Let There Be Carnage | Ruben Fleischer | United States |

## Awards

Source:
* Grand Prix/The Governor of Tokyo Award: Teki Cometh by Daihachi Yoshida
* Special Jury Prize: Adios Amigo by Iván David Gaona
* Best Director: Daihachi Yoshida for Teki Cometh
* Best Actor: Kyōzō Nagatsuka for Teki Cometh
* Best Actress: Anamaria Vartolomei for Traffic
* Award for Best Artistic Contribution: My Friend An Delie by Dong Zijian
* Audience Award: Big World by Yang Lina
* Asian Future Best Film Award: Apollon by Day Athena by Night
* TIFF Ethical Film Award: Dahomey
* Kurosawa Akira Award:
** Miyake Sho
** Fu Tien-yu
* The Hollywood Reporter’s Trailblazer Award: Tadanobu Asano
* Lifetime Achievement Award:
** Béla Tarr, Hungry