The Tokyo Film Festival aims to feature approximately 50 percent of its 15 competition films from Asia. Ichiyama Shozo, who collaborated with Chinese-language auteurs such as Jia Zhangke and Hou Hsiao-hsien, stated, "We hope that our competition will serve as a platform for discovery."
The competition lineup includes veterans Garin Nugroho, Milcho Manchevski, and Bahman Ghobadi, alongside Japanese titles like "The Canary's Lullaby" by Ikeda Akira and "The Intertwining" by Yamamoto Akira. At least one Asian premiere is required for the Tokyo Competition, where the split between Asian and world premieres typically reaches 50 percent.
Japanese films in the Gala Selection feature Zeze Takahisa's "Sukiyaki", Yamazaki Takashi's "Godzilla Minus Zero", and Sode Yukiko's "All the Lovers in the Night". Samuele Rossi's entry "Even If Hell Came" depicts a young Italian partisan in the Alps during the winter of 1944.
Shozo noted that the mainland industry underwent a sharp transformation in the mid-2000s, while China's low profile at international festivals this year stems from star-driven flops, reduced investment, and complex censorship. Taiwan's home market remains small, though production continues due to various public support mechanisms.
Shozo remarked, "I believe this reflects a global trend, as symbolized by the films dealing with the Second World War that were screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival." The festival launched the Asian Students' Film Conference last year and introduced TIFF Work-in-Progress this year to help Japanese films secure funding for production.
Shozo admitted, "Of course, this is not yet enough," while noting that Busan was the first Asian festival to provide backing for production and education to train future talent.
