Tokyo Film Festival unveils 2026 lineup with 15 competition features

Main competition and festival lineup

The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival will take place from October 26 to November 4, 2026, presenting a 15-film main competition competing for the Tokyo Grand Prix and Governor of Tokyo Award. Seven entries will receive their world premieres in the competition, including Garin Nugroho's historical drama Red Before Dawn and Milcho Manchevski's dark comedy Sister Brother Manhole Cover. Japan leads the competition countries with three entries, featuring Akira Ikeda's Taiwan-Japan co-production The Canary's Lullaby, Akira Yamamoto's The Intertwining, and Yukiko Mishima's Two Cigarettes, Three Nights. Eight Asian premieres round out the main competition slate, among them Teodora Ana Mihai's Belgian soccer drama Heysel 85, Lisandro Alonso's Double Freedom, and Bahman Ghobadi's Turkey-set drama Trees Are Watching. Four women directors are featured among the 15 competition filmmakers, while Australian director Rolf de Heer heads the main competition jury.

I was interested in telling a story of great love and unconditional acceptance that is not erotic.

Gala presentations and high-profile guests

The festival will open on October 26 with Zeze Takahisa's music drama Sukiyaki and conclude on November 4 with Yeon Sang-ho's South Korean zombie action horror film Colony. Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus Zero serves as the festival's centerpiece screening between the opening and closing galas. The 14-title Gala Selection will screen Cristian Mungiu's Cannes Palme d'Or winner Fjord and Yukiko Sode's Cannes Un Certain Regard title All the Lovers in the Night. The gala slate also includes Tony Gilroy's Behemoth!, Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, Wayne Wang's Diary of a Mad Old Man, and Sabu's Arrested Memory. Cate Blanchett will attend the festival to support the Japan premieres of five short films funded by the Displacement Film Fund.

Asian Future section and emerging filmmakers

The Asian Future competitive program features 10 titles from rising directors, with eight world premieres and two international premieres scheduled across the slate. Indonesian filmmaker Ariani Darmawan will debut her first feature film Jani Be Good in the section, marking her return to filmmaking after a 15-year absence. The four-day family drama tracks four women across three generations and was written alongside screenwriter Cyntha Hariadi over three years. Other Asian Future selections include Katski Flores's Filipino political biopic EDJOP, Navid Mohammadzadeh's Iranian title I'm Nothing Special Really, and Soheil Karimi's Silver.

When I started thinking about this film, I was imagining the small things that happen inside a home: the conversations, the tension, and the feelings that often go unspoken. We then developed this story together over three years. Becoming a mother also changed the way I see the relationship between children and parents. From there, Jani grew into my way of looking at these four women characters from different generations, all still learning to understand one another.

Program sections and honorary awards

The 2026 edition reintroduces the Crosscut Asia section, dedicated to Southeast Asian filmmaking with screenings of Filipiñana, Four Seasons In Java, and Becoming Human. Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof and Japanese-Korean director Mipo O will receive the Kurosawa Akira Award during the festival proceedings. The animation slate features new work from Japanese directors Masanao Kawajiri and Shingo Natsume, alongside Japanese premieres for international productions including Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado's Forgotten Island. The festival also incorporates Nippon Cinema Now with two newly established awards, alongside dedicated strands for Women's Empowerment, World Focus, Youth, Japanese Classics, and the Asian Students' Film Conference. Concurrently, the TIFFCOM contents market will take place alongside the public festival screenings.