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Films
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TIFF Sections / Programming DirectorTIFF Sections
TIFF Sections
TIFF will showcase its selection of films in nine diverse main sections.
The Competition will showcase feature films that were completed after January 2023. Following a rigorous screening process, fifteen films were chosen from around the world for screening at the festival. This year TIFF received 1,942 entries from 114 countries and regions. The International Competition Jury, comprised of international cineastes, will award the prizes to the winners at the Closing Ceremony.
The motto for the Asian Future Section is "From Asia to the World! From Asia to the Future!" This year marks the eleventh edition of the section since its inception at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2013. Asian Future is a competitive section that features work from up-and-coming Asian directors, including those from Japan and the Middlen East, who have directed no more than three feature-length films. The top film will be awarded the "Asian Future Best Film Award." Two Japanese films have been selected this year. All 10 films competing in the section will have their highly anticipated world premiere.
The Gala Selection premieres the latest films ahead of their Japanese release. Fourteen films will be showcased this year to bring additional excitement to the festival. These include much-talked-about films in international film festivals around the world, the latest films from internationally renowned auteurs, and entertainment films that were massive hits in their home countries.
The World Focus Section showcases films that reflect the current trends in world cinema. In addition to exceptional films from Spain and Latin America presented in conjunction with the Latin Beat Film Festival, the section will also be presenting "Taiwan Cinema Renaissance 2023" with the support of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office's Taiwan Cultural Center, a retrospective honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of the renowned filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, several features from Spain's Basque Country, and a special focus on Hong Kong films co-presented with the Asian Film Awards Academy.
Nippon Cinema Now will select from Japanese releases this past year, films it deems imperative to introduce to international audiences. The section will also showcase Jojo Hideo’s works, a director energetically active in a variety of film genres.
The Animation Section will re-launch this year unveiling a new concept. The first pillar is "Intersection of Visions," which will feature nine films including those that have garnered international attention along with the latest domestic works. The retrospective section will present "International Film Festivals and Directors," which will showcase three films by directors who have won awards at international film festivals.
The Japanese Classics section will showcase two digitally remastered films of Yamamoto Satsuo, who marks 40 years since his death this year. The section will also show digitally remastered “Orochi,” which is known as a masterpiece of silent film.
The Youth section delivers opportunities for young boys and girls to experience the wonders of cinema. In "TIFF 2023:Teens Meet Cinema," junior high students are given a limited amount of time to make a film, which will be showcased on the screen. "TIFF Children" will be screening silent classics with live performances. In "TIFF Teens," the section will select from a roster of highly acclaimed international film festival entries to showcase films that are sure to inspire the participating high school students.
TIFF Series is a section that brings to the screen among the best series produced for television broadcasting and streaming services before their release in Japan.
Ichiyama Shozo
Born in 1963. As a producer for Shochiku Co., Ltd. and Office Kitano Inc., Ichiyama mainly produced works by the non-Japanese filmmakers. His major films include Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Flowers of Shanghai (1998), Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize-winning director Samira Makhmalbaf's Blackboards (2000), and Cannes Film Festival Best Screenplay winner A Touch of Sin (2013) directed by Jia Zhangke. He was also in charge of selecting films for the Tokyo International Film Festival from 1992 to 1999. In 2000, he launched the Film Festival Tokyo FILMeX and served as the director. Since 2013, he has been a visiting professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media. He is the recipient of the 2019 Kawakita Award. He was appointed Programming Director of the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2021.
Ishizaka Kenji
Born in 1960. Ishizaka began critiquing Asian and documentary films after majoring in film studies in Waseda University’s Graduate School. He planned and managed an Asia-Middle East Film Festival Series from 1990 to 2007 for the Japan Foundation. Ishizaka has been serving as Asian Section's Programming Director for TIFF since its 20th edition in 2007. He has been serving as Senior Programmer since 2020. He concurrently holds the position of professor and dean of the Japan Institute of the Moving Image. He has written several books, including “Dynamic Southeast Asian Cinema: Multicultural, Transboundary and Solidarity,” published by Ronsosha Co., Ltd.
Fujitsu Ryota
Animation Section Programming Advisor Fujitsu Ryota Animation critic. Born in 1968 in Shizuoka prefecture. Originally a newspaper reporter and weekly magazine editor, Fujitsu started writing about animation in 2000. Fujitsu's works include books such as Anime Hyoronka Sengen – Revised Edition (Chikuma Bunko), Anime no Rinkaku (Seidosha), Anime to Senso (Nihon Hyoronsha). He serves as lecturer at Tokyo Polytechnic University.
With the support of external experts with a wide range of knowledge, connections, and diverse values, the films to be showcased this year were selected.
Ando Kohei
Emeritus Professor at Waseda University
Kimbara Yuka
Journalist
Sekiguchi Yuko
Journalist
