Events & Festivals

The annual Tokyo International Film Festival held in October in the Japanese capital is one of Asia’s most prestigious competitive film events.

This year in its 33rd edition, the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is an important player in Japan’s film industry and cultural world, and is the only one in the country accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), a Brussels-based organisation that regulates the world’s most important international film celebrations.

Launched in 1985, it has over the years grown into one of Asia’s biggest film festivals and aspires to enter the same league as the Venice International Film Festival, the Festival de Cannes, and the Berlinale or Berlin International Film Festival.

TIFF COVID-19 Measures

This year TIFF will implement a series of measures to mitigate against COVID-19 in order that the festival can be carried out safely. These can be found here.

What to expect at the Tokyo International Film Festival

Over its ten-day duration the festival will screen films – including upcoming releases – from all over the world and spanning all kinds of genres, from action, drama, romance and comedy to horror, fantasy, musicals and science fiction.

As the festival’s organisers give a platform to new talent, expect both emerging artists and world-renowned directors and actors to attend the events. TIFF also provides a rare opportunity for fans to watch dozens of classic as well as new Japanese films on the silver screen with English subtitles. In 2018 the festival attracted well over 230,000 film enthusiasts.

If you’re travelling in Japan during this time then you may also be interested in the Setouchi Triennale 2019 and the Nabana no Sato Winter Light Festival.

Films compete for the Tokyo Grand Prix, the festival’s main award. Other awards this year include the Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Director, Award for Best Actress, Award for Best Actor and Award for Best Artistic Contribution (such as Music, Photography, Script etc.).

Tokyo International Film Festival 2020 programme

For 2020, the Tokyo Premiere section will include 32 films, of which 25 constitute world premieres. These were chosen from more than a thousand titles from more than 100 countries. Ten are from Japan, and a further dozen from the rest of Asia.

Director Koji Fukada will be the focus of 2020’s Japan Now section. The Japanese Animation section will feature Pokémon the Movie, and the Super Sentai Series, which has its 45th anniversary this year.

TIFF will feature actual screenings and stage appearances, as well as Q&As. There wil also be virtual events, which will include a symposium with Asian filmmakers, as well as webinars with global players in the film industry.

Details of the 2020 schedule can be seen here.

For a more physical Japanese experience join Mark Bibby Jackson in Japan Travel: Glamping, Zip-cords and Samurai.

Location of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2020

As during recent years, the festival’s events will be held in several cinemas across Japan’s capital, with the main venues the Roppongi Hills and EX Theater Roppongi (in Minato city). Despite the formal sounding name, this film festival is very accessible to the wider public, more so than the film festivals in Venice and Cannes.

When is the Tokyo International Film Festival 2020?

This year the festival will take place from 31 October to 9 November.

Hotels in Tokyo

If you are looking to book one of the numerous hotels in Tokyo, or a flight to the Japanese capital, enter your dates in our flight and hotel comparison engine to search hundreds of sites for the best deals:

For further details and enquiries:

Contact the Tokyo International Film Festival via the website or Facebook page.

Cover photo by Dick Thomas Johnson: Matsuyama Kenichi, Higashide Masahiro, Mori Yoshitaka & Meryl Streep at the festival’s opening ceremony in 2016.