Sahoko Hata Tokyo International Film Festival The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is adding a series of new initiatives for its 39th edition. The festival is adding two new awards for the Nippon Cinema Now section; launching a new section titled Crosscut Asia+; and establishing the Kashiko Kawakita Award to honor women in cinema.
The festival says the new initiatives “aim to enhance the global reach of Japanese cinema, foster next-generation talent and co-creation across Asia, and promote the preservation and continuation of diverse film cultures.”
The two new awards linked to Nippon Cinema Now include best film and a special jury prize. The festival is looking to draw more attention to local talent and “provide stronger support for undiscovered Japanese talent— from promising newcomers to visionary veterans—and to bring their work to worldwide audiences.”
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“Through the establishment of a new competition within the Nippon Cinema Now section, we will shine a spotlight on exceptional new Japanese talent and introduce them to the world,” Takeo Hisamatsu, TIFF’s festival director, said in a statement. “We hope to give creators the courage to take on their next challenge while empowering them to advance to the global stage. By serving as a platform for emerging talent to take flight, the Tokyo International Film Festival aims to contribute to the growth and development of the Japanese film industry.”
Crosscut Asia+ will be a new section at TIFF for 2026 is a joint initiative with the Japan Foundation, and highlights Southeast Asian cinema. The section carries on the work of a former Tokyo section, the Japan Foundation Asia Center presents Crosscut Asia, which ran from 2014 to 2019. Crosscut Asia+ “will feature a curated selection of films jointly chosen by vibrant film programmers from both the region and Japan, centered around a unique, annual theme from their distinct perspectives.”
For the inaugural edition of Crosscut Asia+, programmers Raslene (Indonesia) and Ueda Masayuki (Japan) will present six films under the theme ‘Side by Side,’ featuring a lineup that ranges from timeless classics to recent releases. Included in the lineup are Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana, Kamila Andini’s Four Seasons in Java, Polen Ly’s Becoming Human, Bachtiar Siagian’s Turang, Daniel Hui’s Small Hours of the Night, and Hafiz Rancajale’s Behind The Flickering Light: The Archive.
For 2026, TIFF is also establishing the Kashiko Kawakita Award to honor women in cinema, and the organizer’s revealed that Sahoko Hata will be the inaugural honoree. The award was established by the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute and was conceived as a recognition “by women, for women“ as an “achievement award [that] honors individuals who have been advancing film culture both in Japan and internationally.” The award pays tribute to Kawakita Kashiko — affectionately known as “Madame Kawakita”— a trailblazing woman who bridged East and West through cinema and who played a pivotal role in founding the Japan Film Library Council and the National Film Archive of Japan.
Honoree Hata, is an acclaimed Japanese critic who fostered filmic links between her country and France. The now 95-year-old began her career in the 1950s and was a key figure in Japanese film culture, who helped purchase and bring landmark French New Wave films such as Breathless, Purple Noon and Mon Oncle to Japan.
“When I was first approached about receiving the 1st Kashiko Kawakita Award, my initial decision was to decline,” said Hata in a statement. “Throughout the pre-war and post-war eras — a time when women were not even permitted to participate — Mme. Kawakita was active with her own distinct eye for importing, exporting, and above all, selecting films. Her legacy remains a page in film history, as well as a chapter in the history of women. On one occasion, Mme. Kawakita whispered to me: “As women, there are so many moments where we must endure, aren’t there?” They were profound words indeed. It is precisely because I felt a compelling desire to pass this story on that I resolved to accept the award.”
The Tokyo Film Festival runs from Oct. 26 to Nov. 4.
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