37th Tokyo International Film Festival Unveils Complete Program and Special Events
The 37th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) unveiled its full lineup and key highlights in a press conference held at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, one of the festival’s main venues. The festival, which runs from October 28 to November 6, 2024, will showcase screenings and events across the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area of Tokyo.
This year’s TIFF will open with the world premiere of 11 Rebels, a jidaigeki action film directed by Shiraishi Kazuya, and close with Marcello Mio, a French-Italian comedy by Christophe Honoré, which was a standout at Cannes. The festival will feature 15 films in competition, nine of them world premieres, selected from 2,023 entries from 110 countries and regions.
Festival Chairman Ando Hiroyasu emphasized three key priorities for the 37th edition: enhancing international exchange, nurturing industry talent, and supporting female empowerment. TIFFCOM 2024, the festival’s affiliated marketplace, will run from October 30 to November 1, offering programs focusing on project development, including the Story Market and Tokyo Gap-Financing Market.
Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, President of the International Competition Jury, will be joined by Hungarian director Enyedi Ildikó, Japanese actor Hashimoto Ai, French actor Chiara Mastroianni, and Hong Kong director Johnnie To in judging the competition section.
TIFF Festival Navigator Kikuchi Rinko, reflecting on her role, highlighted how the festival fosters connections between filmmakers and audiences. "We share the common language of cinema, which is so important," she said.
The programming lineup spans 10 sections, including Competition, Gala Selection, and Asian Future, which will feature 10 films from emerging filmmakers, with Senior Programmer Ishizaka Kenji noting their potential to become future masters. The Nippon Cinema Now section will showcase 12 Japanese films, with director Irie Yu as this year’s focus.
This edition also introduces a new Women’s Empowerment section, co-hosted with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, celebrating films by women or centered on female-forward themes. Senior Programmer Andrijana Cvetkovikj expressed pride in helping transform an industry where directing was once a “far-fetched dream” for women.
Animation will also play a central role in the festival, with seven Japanese films and five international titles, including Annecy winners and a 50th-anniversary screening of Space Battleship Yamato. This section will also host seminars, celebrating the history and influence of Japanese animation.
The festival will offer several significant industry events, including masterclasses by Hong Kong action legend Sammo Hung and Hungarian director Béla Tarr, a symposium on Tarr’s Fukushima Hamadori project, and discussions led by filmmakers like Johnnie To and Kurosawa Kiyoshi.
TIFF will also host the fifth TIFF Lounge series, featuring conversations with leading filmmakers from Asia and beyond, alongside a special focus on the Japan-Italy film relationship, which will be highlighted through various screenings and programs following a recent co-production agreement between the two countries.
With nearly 20% of this year’s films directed by women, TIFF continues to push for greater gender equality in the industry, showcasing diverse global talent while maintaining a special focus on East Asia.
TIFF 2024 Competition
* world premiere
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