The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival is film festival that took place from October 23 to November 1, 2023. German filmmaker Wim Wenders served as jury president.
The official poster for the festival was created by fashion designer Koshino Junko and features actor and filmmaker Eiji Okuda alongside his daughter, director Momoko Ando and pays homage to Yasujirō Ozu's film Tokyo Story on the 120th anniversary of his birth. The festival organisers plans to honour Ozu and showcase his films throughout the festival.
The festival opened with Wim Wenders' Perfect Days and closed with Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One.
Juries The juries consists of the following members: Main competition Wim Wenders, German filmmaker, writer and photographer – Jury president Albert Serra, Spanish director Kunizane Mizue, Japanese producer Trần Thị Bích Ngọc, Vietnamese producer Zhao Tao, Chinese actress and producer
Asian Future Markus Nornes, American Professor of Asian Cinema at University of Michigan – Jury president Raymond Red, Filipino director Takei Miyuki, Japansese President of Film Distribution Company MOVIOLA
Venues The following 8 venues will host the festival screenings.
Marunouchi TOEI Marunouchi Piccadilly Hulic Hall Tokyo Tokyo Midtown Hibiya Toho Cinemas Chanter Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho Humantrust Cinema Yurakucho Cine Switch Ginza
Official Selection Competition The following films were selected to compete for the Tokyo Grand Prix. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country (Ab)normal Desire 正欲 Kishi Yoshiyuki Japan Air ВОЗДУХ Alexey German Jr. Russia Blind at Heart Die Mittagsfrau Barbara Albert Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg Dwelling by the West Lake 草木人间 Gu Xiaogang China A Foggy Paradise 曖昧な楽園 Kotsuji Yohei Japan Gondola Veit Helmer Germany, Georgia The Gospel of the Beast Sheron Dayoc Philippines A Long Shot 老枪 Gao Peng China The Persian Version Maryam Keshavarz United States Roxana Parviz Shahbazi Iran Sermon to the Birds Quşlara Xütbə Hilal Baydarov Azerbaijan The Settlers Los colonos Felipe Gálvez Chile, Argentina, Netherlands Snow Leopard 雪豹 Pema Tseden China Tatami Guy Nattiv, Zar Amir Ebrahimi Georgia, United States Who Were We? わたくしどもは Tomina Tetsuya Japan
Asian Future The following films were selected to compete in the Asian Future section, which features films from Asian directors who have directed a maximum of three feature films. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Fly Me to the Moon 但願人長久 Sasha Chuk Hong Kong La Luna M. Raihan Halim Singapore, Malaysia Madina Мадина Aizhan Kassymbek Kazakhstan, Pakistan, India Maria Mahdi Asghari Azghadi Iran Real State Anat Malz Israel Redlife เรดไลฟ์ Ekalak Klunson Thailand Rosinante Balık Kırgını Baran Gunduzalp Turkey Sumo Didi Jayant Rohatgi India Take Me to Another Planet 違う惑星の変な恋人 Kimura Satoshi Japan Tatsumi Shoji Hiroshi 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 of Us Strangers Andrew Haigh United Kingdom The Exorcist: Believer David Gordon Green United States Full River Red 满江红 Zhang Yimou China Gold Boy 黄金少年 Shusuke Kaneko Japan Green Night Han Shuai Hong Kong Kidnapped Rapito Marco Bellocchio Italy, France, Germany Kubi 首 Takeshi Kitano Japan Lumberjack the Monster Takashi Miike Japan The Movie Emperor 红毯先生 Ning Hao China My (K)Night Nakagawa Ryutaro Japan Next Goal Wins Taika Waititi United States Poor Things Yorgos Lanthimos United Kingdom The Pot-au-Feu La Passion de Dodin Bouffant Trần Anh Hùng France Shadow of Fire ほかげ Tsukamoto Shinya 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 Country All Ears 不虚此行 Liu Jiayin China Anselm / Somebody Comes into the Light Anselm – Das Rauschen der Zeit / Somebody Comes into the Light Wim Wenders Germany, Japan Dante Pupi Avati Italy Essential Truths of the Lake Lav Diaz Philippines, France, Portugal, Singapore, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom The Fisher Paul Soriano Philippines Love Is a Gun 愛是一把槍 Lee Hong-chi Hong Kong, Taiwan May 梅的白天和黑夜 Luo Dong China Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros Frederick Wiseman France, United States Music Angela Schanelec Germany, France, Serbia Passages Ira Sachs France 20th Latin Beat Film Festival in TIFF The Delinquents Los delincuentes Rodrigo Moreno Argentina, Brazil, Luxembourg, Chile Sorcery Brujería Christopher Murray Chile, Mexico, Germany Strange Way of Life Extraña forma de vida Pedro Almodóvar Spain, France Tótem Lila Avilés Mexico, Denmark, France Un amor Isabel Coixet Spain Taiwan Cinema Renaissance 2023 After School 成功補習班 Blue Lan Taiwan Miss Shampoo 請問，還有哪裡需要加強 Giddens Ko Old Fox 老狐狸 Hsiao Ya-chuan Who'll Stop the Rain 青春並不溫柔 Su I-Hsuan Asian Cinerama - Hong Kong Focus Tony Leung <Masterclass> / 2046 Wong Kar-wai Hong Kong In Broad Daylight 白日之下 Lawrence Kan Time Still Turns the Pages 年少日記 Nick Cheuk Vital Signs 送院途中 Cheuk Wan-chi Nomad (4K Restored Director's Cut) 烈火青春 Patrick Tam Special Program: The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Franco Zeffirelli La Traviata (Digitally Remastered Version) Franco Zeffirelli Italy Sparrow (Restored Version) Storia di una capinera Italy, Japan Callas Forever (Digitally Remastered Version) Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Romania Special Spotlight: Basque Cinema 20,000 Species of Bees 20.000 especies de abejas Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren Spain A Deep Breath, Women Filmmakers Arnasa Betean Berha Gaztelumendi, Rosa Zufia In the Company of Women Las buenas compañías Silvia Munt The Rye Horn O corno Jaione Camborda Spain, Portugal, Belgium Sultana's Dream El sueño de la Sultana Isabel Herguera Spain, Germany
Youth The following films were selected for the Youth section. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Phantom Youth Bota Jonë Luàna Bajrami Kosovo, France Power Alley Levante Lillah Halla Brazil, France, Uruguay A Song Sung Blue 小白船 Geng Zihan China
Nippon Cinema Now The following films were selected for Nippon Cinema Now, which aims to introduce previously released Japanese films to international audiences. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Ichiko 市子 Toda Akihiro Japan Family Sawa Kan Following the Sound 彼方のうた Sugita Kyoshi 99% Cloudy... Always 99%、いつも曇り Sangoumi Midori The Making of a Japanese 小学校～それは小さな社会 Ema Ryan Yamazaki Japan, United States, Finland, France Keep Your Left Hand Down 左手に気をつけろ Nami Iguchi Japan Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus Sora Neo Twilight Cinema Blues 銀平町シネマブルース Hideo Jojo Believers ビリーバーズ Love Nonetheless 愛なのに On The Edge of Their Seats アルプススタンドのはしの方
Animation The following films were selected for the Animation section. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Art College 1994 艺术学院 Liu Juan China Blue Giant Yuzuru Tachikawa Japan Chicken for Linda! Linda veut du poulet! Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach France, Italy The Concierge 北極百貨店のコンシェルジュさん Yoshimi Itazu Japan Deep Sea 深海 Tian Xiaopeng China Komada - A Whisky Family 駒田蒸留所へようこそ Yoshihara Masayuki Japan Lonely Castle in the Mirror かがみの孤城 Keiichi Hara Japan Robot Dreams Pablo Berger Spain, France Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light Tonda, Slávka a kouzelné světlo Filip Pošivač Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World この世界の（さらにいくつもの）片隅に Sunao Katabuchi Japan Lu Over the Wall 夜明け告げるルーのうた Masaaki Yuasa Japan On-Gaku: Our Sound 音楽 Kenji Iwaisawa Japan
Japanese Classics The following films were selected for the Japanese Classics section. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country The Great White Tower (4K Digitally Restored Version) (1966) 白い巨塔 Satsuo Yamamoto Japan A Band of Assassins (1962) 忍びの者 Orochi (1925) 雄呂血 Buntarō Futagawa
TIFF Series The following television series were selected for the TIFF Series section. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Ozu Hideo Jojo, Matsumoto Yusaku Japan Why Try to Change Me Now 平原上的摩西 Zhang Dalei China
Shoulders of Giants The following fifteen films (all with their 4K digitally restored version) were selected for the "Shoulders of Giants" section, destined to honor the 120th Anniversary of Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Dragnet Girl (1933) 非常線の女 Yasujirō Ozu Japan I Was Born, But... (1932) 大人の見る絵本 生れてはみたけれど There Was a Father (1942) 父ありき Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947) 長屋紳士録 A Hen in the Wind (1948) 風の中の牝鶏 The Munekata Sisters (1950) 宗方姉妹 The End of Summer (1961) 小早川家の秋 Late Spring (1949) 晩春 Early Summer (1951) 麦秋 Tokyo Story (1953) 東京物語 Tokyo Twilight (1957) 東京暮色 Equinox Flower (1958) 彼岸花 Floating Weeds (1959) 浮草 Late Autumn (1960) 秋日和 An Autumn Afternoon (1962) 秋刀魚の味
Akira Kurosawa's Favorite Films The following films were screened as a part of a section consisting of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa favorite films. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country City Lights (1931) Charlie Chaplin United States The Lower Depths (1936) Les Bas-fonds Jean Renoir France The Quiet Man (1952) John Ford United States The 400 Blows (1959) Les quatre cents coups François Truffaut France Throne of Blood (1957) 蜘蛛巣城 Akira Kurosawa Japan
Awards The following awards were presented for the 36th edition: Tokyo Grand Prix: Snow Leopard by Pema Tseden Special Jury Prize: Tatami by Guy Nattiv, Zar Amir Ebrahimi Best Director: Kishi Yoshiyuki for (Ab)normal Desire Best Actor: Yasna Mirtahmasb for Roxana Best Actress: Zar Amir Ebrahimi for Tatami Best Artistic Confibution: A Long Shot by Gao Peng Audience Award: (Ab)normal Desire by Kishi Yoshiyuki Asian Future Best Film Award: Maria by Mahdi Asghari Azghadi Amazon Prime Video Take One Award: Gone with the Wind by Yang Liping Amazon Prime Video Take One Award Special Jury Prize: Be Prepared by Yasumura Emi Kurosawa Akira Award: Gu Xiaogang Mouly Surya
References