Tokyo Film Festival Plans for Physical Edition, Alliance With Filmex  

The Tokyo International Film Festival  (TIFF) will host physical screenings for its 33rd edition, which is currently scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 9, the festival office announced today. It will also collaborate with the Tokyo Filmex festival normally held in November.

Plans for a festival with live audiences may change, a TIFF representative said, “depending on the global health situation.” The festival plans for screenings in Tokyo theaters, but will hold symposiums and talk events with international guests online.

“As of now, we think it is extremely difficult to invite guests from Europe and US territories,” said the rep. “As for neighboring countries in Asia, there are still possibilities depending on the virus situation.”

Another indication of the new normal is TIFF’s decision to combine its three core sections – Competition, Asian Future (films from up-and-coming Asian directors) and Japanese Cinema Splash (local indie films by new and veteran directors) — into one new section called Tokyo Premiere 2020. The section will screen about 30 films from new and established directors, while bestowing only one prize, an audience award.

On the programming committee for Tokyo Premiere 2020 are TIFF programmers Kohei Ando, Kenji Ishizaka and Yoshi Yatabe, as well as producer Shozo Ichiyama and journalists Yuka Kimbara and Yuko Sekiguchi.

Tokyo Filmex is a festival that traditionally specializes in Asian and other foreign arthouse films premiering at major fall festivals. In a statement TIFF compared the new relationship to that between the Cannes Film Festival and Directors’ Fortnight. “We expect this synergy between our two festivals to also strengthen solidarity in the film industry,” the statement said.

The three-day TIFFCOM film and TV rights market, which has usually been held concurrently with TIFF in years past, is now scheduled to go live, if with online seminars. “Again, there may be changes depending on the global health situation,” representatives said.

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