The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival will take place from 26 October to 5 November 2026 at Yūrakuchō-Marunouchi-Ginza area. The festival will open with 2026 Japanese musical film Sukiyaki directed by Zeze Takahisa, telling the story behind the pop song "Sukiyaki," sung by crooner Kyu Sakamoto. Colony by Yeon Sang-ho will be the closing film.
Rolf de Heer, Dutch Australian film director will serve as the Jury President of international competition. Kento Nakajima, Japanese singer, actor, voice actor and television personality will be the festival navigator and the face of the festival.
Festival overview This section sums up the main things taking place during the festival:
'A'-list classification
The festival is classified as 'A'-list festival from 2026, joining prestigious competitive festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno and San Sebastian, under the revamped accreditation process by the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations.
The film registration for the festival began on April 7, 2026 with the closing date for submission fixed for July 7, 2026.
Three new initiative
Kashiko Kawakita Award : A new award that takes its name from Kashiko Kawakita, known as "Madame Kawakita", was a Japanese film producer and film curator, and the wife of Nagamasa Kawakita. The award is established by the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute to honour women advancing film culture in Japan and internationally.
Nippon Cinema Now section: This section will now award a Best Film prize and a Special Jury Prize from 2026, with a jury combining Japanese and international industry figures.
Crosscut Asia+: A new section, which is developed with the Japan Foundation that continues the mission of the earlier Crosscut Asia strand.
Poster
The poster unveiled on September 11, was created by Japanese graphic designer Oshima Idea in collaboration with Mipo O, a Japanese director. The poster celebrates this year’s TIFF theme, "connecting―cinema connects us to the world beyond." It bears the photo of young lead of the 2025 film How Dare You?, Tetta Shimada taken by cinematographer Tanaka Hajime.
Japan Premiere of Displacement Film Fund Shorts Five short films backed by the Displacement Film Fund will have their Japanese premiere at the festival. Cate Blanchett, co-founder of the fund will attend the Premiere of these short films.
Cultural programs
This edition will host extra cultural programs along with its main competition. These include a symposium discussing a possible new international anime award, and an event celebrating the 10th year of its Teens Cinema Workshop.
2026 lineup The festival unveiled its complete line-up including titles in the Asian Future and Nippon Cinema Now competitive strands on October 1, 2026. The 39th edition will screen 204 films from 112 countries out of which 83 are Japanese films and 35 are world premieres. 47 films are directed or co-directed by women.
Juries
The juries consists of the following members:
Main competition
Rolf de Heer, Dutch-Australian film director – Jury president
Alex Lo, producer and the founder of Cinema Inutile, a New York and Tokyo-based development, production and finance company Oh Jung-wan, founder and producer of Bom Film Productions, a prominent film production company in South Korea. Makiko Watanabe, Japanese actress Yov Moor, French colorist
Asian Future Jury Eiko Mizuno-Gray, CEO / Producer, Loaded Films Ltd Akio Fujimoto, Japanese film director and screenwriter. Yulia Evina Bhara, Indonesian film and theatre producer and founder of KawanKawan Media, a production company based in Jakarta
Nippon Cinema Now Jury Mathieu Macheret, graduate of École nationale supérieure Louis-Lumière, film critic at Le Monde, lecturer and film-club host Murata Chieko, Corporate Executive, Myriagon Studio Sabrina Baracetti, President, Udine Far East Film Festival
TIFF Ethical Film Award
Hayato Isomura, Japanese actor Student PR Team Kanenori Kurumi (Musashino Art Univ.) Goujima Seitaro (Chuo Univ.) Takahashi Shiori (Hosei Univ.) Screening venues Cine Switch Ginza (Chuo City) Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho Toho Cinemas Chanter, Toho Cinemas, Humantrust Cinema Yurakucho, Marunouchi Piccadilly, Hulic Hall Tokyo, Hibiya Step Square, LEXUS MEETS..., Mitsubishi Building 1F M+ Success (Chiyoda City)
Official Selection The full line-up was revealed on October 1, 2026. The lineup is a mix of new features from Asia's auteurs, Hollywood films and films from up-coming filmmakers.
Sukiyaki by Zeze Takahisa will be the opening film of the festival.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country(ies)Opening film Sukiyaki 上を向いて歩こう Takahisa Zeze Japan Centerpiece Screening Godzilla Minus Zero ゴジラ-0.0マイナスゼロ Takashi Yamazaki JapanClosing film Colony Yeon Sang-ho South Korea
International Competition
The main competition has 15 films vying for Tokyo Grand Prix.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country The Canary's Lullaby 我親愛的怪孩子 Ikeda Akira Taiwan, JapanThe Difficult Bride Rubaiyat Hossain Bangladesh, France, Portugal, Norway, Germany Double Freedom Lisandro Alonso Argentina, Chile, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Uruguay, United Kingdom Even If Hell Came Se Venisse Anche l'Inferno Samuele Rossi Italy Fuxi: Joy in Four Chapters 腹喜 Qiu Jiongjiong Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar ↑page Heysel 85 Teodora Ana Mihai Belgium, Romania, Netherlands, Germany The Intertwining 過怠 Akira Yamamoto Japan Magic Atlas 魔法星图 Sun Xun Singapore Memories of Prison Memórias do Cárcere Sérgio Graciano Portugal The Night That Binds Us 略知她一二 Wang Jiang-yong France, Hong Kong Red Before Dawn Merah Sebelum Fajar Garin Nugroho Indonesia Sister Brother Manhole Cover Сестра, брат и шахта Milcho Manchevski North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Italy, United Kingdom Trees Are Watching Bahman Ghobadi Turkey Two Cigarettes, Three Nights 男ともだち Yukiko Mishima JapanUntil the Day EndsDo kraja danaJelena MaksimovićSerbia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Montenegro, Croatia, Germany
Asian Future This competitive section presents 10 titles, eight of which will have world premieres.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production CountryEdjop Katski Flores Philippines I'm Nothing Special Really واقعا آدم خاصی نیستم Navid Mohammadzadeh Iran Jani Be Good Desember Jani Ariani Darmawan IndonesiaMiracle Summer Cai Ronglin Japan On the Heights 낮은곳으로부터 Kim Hyun-min South Korea The Paper Flower காகித மலர் Chezhiyan IndiaSaravah Kujiraoka Hironori JapanSerife Tavsan Tareq Daoud Switzerland, TürkiyeShyrmauyq Azamat Shargyn Kazakhstan Silver Noghreh Soheil Karimi Iran
Nippon Cinema Now
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Between Us いえないふたり Matsumura Shingo Japan Okinawa Saudade オキナワ・サウダージ Matsubayashi Yoju Japan Kefi Saito Kisin Japan Earthlings in Love 恋する地球人 -劇場特別版- Ueda Shinichiro Japan silver express シルバー・エクスプレス Tanaka Miki Japan Hinotama: Ball of Fire 火の玉を見た Yaza Takenoshin Japan Plastic Love! プラスチック・ラブ！ Sybilla Patrizia, Clementine Nuttall Japan, Austria Chihiro Akemi ほとりの家で Natori Satoshi Japan Yamazaki Riverside -Over an Actor's Shoulder - 山﨑リバーサイド - 俳優の肩ごしに - Inudo Isshin Japan
Gala Selection
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Gala Selection.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country All the Lovers in the Night すべて真夜中の恋人たち Yukiko Sode Japan Arrested Memory狂忘警探SabuTaiwan, Japan Behemoth! Tony Gilroy United States The Beloved Rodrigo Sorogoyen Spain, France A Bouquet of Light for You ないものねだりの君に光の花束を Hiroshi Ando Japan Bye Bye Love: Detective Is in the Bar 探偵はBARにいる Kazuya Shiraishi Japan Diary of a Mad Old Man Wayne Wang Japan, United StatesFjord Cristian Mungiu Romania, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden Sunshine Women’s Choir Yang guang nü zi he chang tuan Gavin Lin TaiwanTeenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma Jane Schoenbrun United States The Tiger and Her Wings The Movie 監督：梛川善郎 Yoshiro Nagikawa JapanVerity Michael Showalter United StatesWild Horse NineMartin McDonaghUnited Kingdom, United States, Chile Your Story 君の話 Nakagawa Ryutaro Japan
World Focus The following films were selected for the World Focus section, which focuses on international films.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production CountryDAUIlya KhrzhanovskyGermany, France, Sweden, RussiaThe Dreamed AdventureValeska GrisebachGermany, France, Austria, BulgariaFliesFernando EimbckeMexico Javier Calvo and Javier AmbrossiSpain, FranceLet Us Through, Dear AncestorsMakikiraan poLav DiazPhilippinesThe Masque of the Red Death Roger Corman United States, United Kingdom The Match Juan Cabral and Santiago FrancoArgentina My Wife Cries Meine Frau weint Angela Schanelec Germany, France To Be Ordinary 有用的人 Lee Yun-chan Taiwan The Road to Jericho Amos Gitai France, United Kingdom Sixteen Moments of My LifeSeize moments de ma vieAlbert SerraFrance, Spain Sleep No More Monster Pabrik Rambut Edwin Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Germany, FranceThe Survival of Kindness Rolf de Heer Australia
Animation The following films were selected for the Animation section.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production CountryAmadeo and the Hypothetical New World Brenda Lígia and Edu Felistoque Brazil ghost – end of night Shingo Natsume Japan Iron BoyLouis ClichyFrance, Belgium We Are Aliens Kohei Kadowaki Japan, France Japanese Classics The following films were selected for the Japanese Classics section. Year English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country 1967 Scattered Clouds 乱れ雲Mikio NaruseJapan
Youth
The following films were selected for the Youth section.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production CountryA Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter PhaedraMia mera sti zoi tis tzo: kefalaio FaidraJacqueline LentzouGreece, Germany, France The River Train El Tren Fluvial Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas A. Vignale Argentina
Women’s Empowerment
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production CountryFar From the TreesLejos de los árbolesMeritxell ColellSpain, Peru, Italy A Girl Unknown 无名女孩 Zou Jing ChinaI Rarely Wake Up DreamingSelten wache ich träumend aufIsabelle SteverGermany, UkraineLovers in the Blue NightAnuparna RoyIndia, United StatesThe MeltdownManuela MartelliChile, United States, Spain, Mexico
Crosscut Asia+ A new re-vamped section developed with the Japan Foundation that continues the mission of the earlier Crosscut Asia strand.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Becoming Human ជាតិជាមនុស្សា Polen Ly Cambodia Behind the Flickering Light: The Archive Anak Sabiran, Di Balik Cahaya Gemerlapan: Sang Arsip Hafiz Rancajale Indonesia Filipiñana Rafael Manuel Singapore, United Kingdom, Philippines, France, Netherlands Four Seasons in Java Empat Musim Pertiwi Kamila Andini Indonesia, France, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore Small Hours of the Night Daniel Hui Singapore Turang (1957) Bachtiar Siagian Indonesia
Special Screenings
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country The Butterfly Murders 蝶變 Tsui Hark Hong Kong Monster in Sheep's Clothing 羊の皮を着たケモノ Yang Liping Japan What We Call Happiness 羊の皮を着たケモノ Enomoto Norio Japan Wildwood Travis Knight United States
Akira Kurosawa's Favorite Films The following films will be screened as a part of a section consisting of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa favorite films.
Year English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country 1928The Circus Charlie Chaplin United States 1952 Ikiru (4K restoration) 生きるKurosawa Akira Japan 1943 Sanshiro Sugata (4K restoration) 姿三四郎 Kurosawa Akira Japan 1987Where Is the Friend's House? خانه دوست کجاستAbbas Kiarostami Iran Mizoguchi Kenji TIFF/NFAJ Classics: Kenji Mizoguchi
With the colobration of National Film Archive of Japan, the festival will present a special retrospective of the films by auteur Mizoguchi Kenji to commemorate the 70th death anniversary of the director.