 Official poster | |
| Opening film | Climbing for Life byJunji Sakamoto |
|---|---|
| Closing film | Hamnet byChloé Zhao |
| Location | Tokyo, Japan |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Awards | Tokyo Grand Prix:Palestine 36 |
| Hosted by | |
| Artistic director | Koshino Junko |
| No. of films | 184 |
| Festival date | Opening: October 27, 2025 (2025-10-27) Closing: November 5, 2025 (2025-11-05) |
| Website | 2025 TIFF |
| Tokyo International Film Festival | |
The38thTokyo International Film Festival took place from 27 October to 5 November 2025 atYūrakuchō-Marunouchi-Ginza area. The festival opened with 2025 Japanese biographical filmClimbing for Life directed byJunji Sakamoto about the life ofJunko Tabei. The opening was attended by the director Sakamoto,Sayuri Yoshinaga,Rena Nōnen, festival navigator Kumi Takiuchi, and other Japanese and international stars, includingTakumi Saitoh, Misato Morita, China’sFan Bingbing andPeter Chan, and French actressJuliette Binoche.[1]
Carlo Chatrian, Italian journalist, author and programmer will serve as the Jury President of international competition.[2]Chloé Zhao, Chinese-born filmmaker, andLee Sang-il, Japanese-born film director and screenwriter, were honoured with Kurosawa Akira Award for their extraordinary contributions to world cinema.[3][4]Sayuri Yoshinaga, Japanese actress and activist andYoji Yamada, Japanese film director, will be honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award.[5]
The closing ceremony was held on November 5, 2025, where the various awards were announced.Palestine 36, a 2025 historical drama written and directed by Annemarie Jacir won the Tokyo Grand Prix, while 2025 documentary filmWe Are the Fruits of the Forest byRithy Panh won the Special Jury Prize. The festival closed with the screening of an American–British co-produced historical dramaHamnet byChloé Zhao.[6]
The film registration for the festival began in April 2025 with the closing date for submission fixed for July 7, 2025.[7]
Takiuchi Kumi was appointed this year's festival navigator. She will "navigate" the audience at official events as the face of the festival.[8]
The poster unveiled on September 19, was created by Japanese graphic designer Oshima Idea in collaboration withRikiya Imaizumi, a Japanese director. Inspired by the theme of observation and emotional connection, the poster depicts a scene set in a Tokyo café where two women discuss topics like love, war, and politics. Hoshi Moeka portrays the older woman, who complains about her boyfriend, while Ca Non, from the idol groupGang Parade, plays the younger woman who has feelings for the other woman. The poster uses black-and-white stills to reflect the subtle emotional tension between the characters.[9]
The festival unveiled the full lineup of the 38th edition in a press conference held on October 1, 2025.[10]
The festival concluded on November 5, 2025 with Michael Rivas as master of ceremonies.Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo was chief guest. In this edition 184 films were screened, with 69,162 admissions. 163,009 audience attended the various events held during the festival.[11]
The juries consists of the following members:[12][13]
The following venues will host the festival screenings.[14][15]
The festival from this year will consist of ten main sections.[16][17]
Climbing for Life byJunji Sakamoto will be opening film of the festival to commemorate the 50th anniversary ofJunko Tabei's Everest achievement.[18]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country(ies) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening film | ||||
| Climbing for Life | てっぺんの向こうにあなたがいる | Junji Sakamoto | Japan | |
| Centerpiece Screening | ||||
| Tokyo Taxi | TOKYOタクシー | Yoji Yamada | Japan | |
| Closing film | ||||
| Hamnet | Chloé Zhao | United Kingdom, United States | ||
The main competition has 15 films vying for Tokyo Grand Prix.[19]
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atropia | Hailey Gates | United States | |
| Blonde | 金髪 | Sakashita Yuichiro | Japan |
| Echoes of Motherhood | 恒星の向こう側 | Nakagawa Ryutaro | Japan |
| Golem in Pompei | Amos Gitai | France | |
| Heads or Tails? | Testa o croce? | Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis | Italy, United States |
| Hen | Kota | György Pálfi | Greece, Germany, Hungary |
| Maria Vitória | Mário Patrocínio | Portugal | |
| Morte Cucina | ครัวสาว | Pen-ek Ratanaruang | Thailand |
| Mother | Мајка | Teona Strugar Mitevska | Belgium, North Macedonia |
| Mother Bhumi | 地母 | Chong Keat Aun | Malaysia, Hong Kong, Italy, Saudi Arabia |
| Mothertongue | 春树 | Zhang Lü | China |
| Palestine 36 | فلسطين ٣٦ | Annemarie Jacir | Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark |
| Sermon to the Void | Boşluğa xütbə | Hilal Baydarov | Azerbaijan, Mexico, Turkey |
| Take Off | Pengfei | China | |
| We Are the Fruits of the Forest | Nous sommes les fruits de la forêt | Rithy Panh | Cambodia, France |
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Gala Selection.[20]
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Boy Trial | Iizuka Kasho | Japan | ||
| Bring Him Down to a Portable Size | 兄を持ち運べるサイズに | Nakano Ryota | Japan / France / China | |
| Can't Cry With Your Face | 君の顔では泣けない | Sakashita Yuichiro | Japan | |
| Eddington | Ari Aster | United States | ||
| Holy Night: Demon Hunters | 거룩한 밤: 데몬 헌터스 | Lim Dae-hee | South Korea | |
| Love on Trial | 恋愛裁判 | Koji Fukada | Japan | |
| Night Flower | ナイトフラワー | Uchida Eiji | Japan | |
| One Last Throw | 栄光のバックホーム | Akiyama Jun | Japan | |
| Rental Family | Hikari | United States, Japan | ||
| She's Got No Name | 酱园弄·悬案 | Peter Chan | China | |
| Sirāt | Oliver Laxe | France, Spain | ||
| Sons of the Neon Night | 風林火山 | Juno Mak | China, Hong Kong | |
| Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere | Scott Cooper | United States | ||
The following films were selected for the World Focus section, which focuses on international films.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girls on Wire | 想飞的女孩 | Vivian Qu | China |
| Kiss of the Spider Woman | Bill Condon | United States | |
| Kopitiam Days | Yeo Siew Hua, Shoki Lin, M. Rihan Halim, Tan Siyou, Don Aravind, Ong Kuo Sin | Singapore | |
| The Lake | Le Lac | Fabrice Aragno | Switzerland |
| Magellan | Magalhães | Lav Diaz | Portugal, Spain, France, Philippines, Taiwan |
| Mare's Nest | Ben Rivers | United Kingdom, France, Canada | |
| The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt | United States, United Kingdom | |
| Tunnels: Sun In The Dark | Địa đạo: Mặt trời trong bóng tối | Bui Thac Chuyen | Vietnam |
| The Captive | El cautivo | Alejandro Amenábar | Spain, Italy |
| Dreams | Michel Franco | Mexico, United States | |
| Matador | Pedro Almodóvar | Spain | |
| The Wave | La ola | Sebastián Lelio | Chile |
| April | 丟包阿公到我家 | Freddy Tang | Taiwan |
| Crown Shyness | 樹冠羞避 | Chang Chun-yu | Taiwan |
| Double Happiness | 雙囍 | Joseph Chen-chieh Hsu | Taiwan |
| The Waves Will Carry Us | 人生海海 | Lau Kek-huat | Taiwan |
| Kika | Alexe Poukine | Belgium, France | |
| Vitrival – The Most Beautiful Village in the World | Vitrival | Noëlle Bastin, Baptiste Bogaert | Belgium |
| Black God, White Devil | Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol | Glauber Rocha | Brazil |
| The Dragon of Wickedness Against the Holy Warrior | O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro | Glauber Rocha | Brazil |
| Central Station | Central do Brasil | Walter Salles | Brazil |
| White House | Kasa Branca | Luciano Vidigal | Brazil |
| The Blue Trail | O Último Azul | Gabriel Mascaro | Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, Chile |
| Milton Bituca Nascimento | Flávia Moraes | Brazil | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journey into Sato Tadao | Terasaki Mizuho | Japan | |
| The Chatterboxes | Kawai Ken | Japan | |
| Far in the Middle of the East | Door Dar Mianeh Shargh | Arash Aneessee | Iran, Austria |
| The Greatest Funeral Hits | En Güzel Cenaze Şarkıları | Ziya Demirel | Turkey |
| Halo | 헤일로 | Roh Young-wan | South Korea |
| Kiiroiko | きいろいこ | Imai Mika | Japan |
| Linka Linka | 林卡林卡 | Kangdrun | China |
| Noah’s Daughter | دختر نوح | Amirreza Jalalian | Iran |
| Number 23 | 第二十三号 | Xia Hao | China |
| The Old Man and His Car | Michael Kam | Singapore | |
| Tomorrow’s Min-Jae | 내일의 민재 | Park Young-jae | South Korea |
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saikai Paradise | 西海楽園 | Tsuruoka Keiko | Japan | |
| White Flowers and Fruits | 白の花実 | Sakamoto Yukari | Japan | |
| In Their Traces | 魂のきせき | Kobayashi Shigeru | Japan | |
| Echoes of the Orient | Yang Liping | Japan | ||
| All Greens | 万事快調〈オール・グリーンズ〉 | Koyama Takashi | Japan | |
| Poca Pon | ポカポン | Ohtsuka Shin-ichi | Japan | |
| TimeLimit | Elizabeth Miyaji | Japan | ||
| Lost Land | Harà Watan | Akio Fujimoto | Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany | |
| Special screening | ||||
| Dear Stranger | ディア・ストレンジャー | Tetsuya Mariko | Japan, Taiwan, United States | |
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Sunset | Kunsang Kyirong | Canada | |
| About Me | Nomoto Kozue | Japan | |
| Cinema Jazireh | Kino Džazíra | Gözde Kural | Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania |
| Happy Birthday | هابي بيرث داي | Sarah Goher | Egypt |
| I Am Nevenka | Soy Nevenka | Icíar Bollaín | Spain, Italy |
| Sato and Sato | 佐藤さんと佐藤さん | Chihiro Amano | Japan |
| Someone Like Me | 像我這樣的愛情 | Tam Wai-ching | Hong Kong |
The following films were selected for the Animation section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allah Is Not Obliged | Allah n'est pas obligé | Zaven Najjar | France |
| Angel's Egg 4K Restoration | 天使のたまご 4Kリマスター | Mamoru Oshii | Japan |
| ChaO | チァオ | Yasuhiro Aoki | Japan |
| Decorado | Alberto Vázquez | Spain, Portugal | |
| I Am Frankelda | Soy Frankelda | Roy Ambriz, Arturo Ambriz | Mexico |
| The Last Blossom | ホウセンカ | Baku Kinoshita | Japan |
The following films were selected for the Japanese Classics section.[21]
| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | April Story | 四月物語 | Shunji Iwai | Japan |
| 1958 | Conflagration | 炎上 | Kon Ichikawa | Japan |
| 1985 | Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters | Paul Schrader | United States, Japan | |
| 1996 | Shall We Dance? | Shall we ダンス? | Masayuki Suo | Japan |
| 1996 | Swallowtail Butterfly | スワロウテイル? | Shunji Iwai | Japan |
The following films were selected for the Youth section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) | Joel Alfonso Vargas | United States | |
| The Stranger | L'Étranger | François Ozon | France |
| TIFF 2025: Teens Meet Cinema - World Premiere Screening Event + TIFF Teens Cine Club 2025 Presentation | TIFFティーンズ映画教室2025上映会 + TIFFティーンズ・シネクラブ2025報告会 | Panelists:Ikematsu Sosuke (Actor / Member of Cine Club), Dohi Etsuko (Children Meet Cinema) | Japan |
| TIFF International Symposium on Film Education: Challenges for Film Education Networks and Practitioners | TIFF映画教育国際シンポジウム2025～映画教育のネットワークと担い手の課題～ | Panelists: Veerle Snijders (Eye Filmmuseum), Iwasaki Yuko / Suwa Nobuhiro / Dohi Etsuko | Japan |
The following television series were selected for the TIFF Series section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scandal Eve | スキャンダルイブ | Kanai Kou | Japan |
The awards were announced on November 5 in the closing ceremony:[22]
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