Tokyo Film Festival Opens Its 39th Edition With 204 Films

The Tokyo International Film Festival has opened its 39th edition with an ambitious 204-film program spanning 112 countries and regions. The 10-day event began Monday in Tokyo’s Hibiya district, where rain accompanied a red carpet led by Japanese stars, filmmakers and international industry guests.

This year’s program includes 35 world premieres and 83 Japanese films, according to the festival’s official lineup announcement. Fifteen titles are competing in the main Competition section, while another 10 are part of Asian Future, the festival’s showcase for emerging filmmakers. Organizers have framed the edition around the theme “Connecting — Cinema Connects Us to the World Beyond.”

Japanese cinema takes the spotlight

Sukiyaki, a music drama inspired by the creative story behind the Japanese song that topped the U.S. charts in 1963, serves as the opening film. The festival’s centerpiece is Godzilla Minus Zero, the sequel to the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One. Its high-profile screening is scheduled for November 1, ahead of the film’s Japanese theatrical release.

The festival will close with Colony, an action thriller from filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho. Together, the three spotlight selections underline a program that moves between Japanese popular culture, international genre filmmaking and stories designed to travel beyond their home markets.

A major anniversary is already in view

Festival director Takeo Hisamatsu told Variety that organizers plan to review this year’s edition and reassess Tokyo’s position on the international festival circuit before the event turns 40 in 2027. That review is intended to shape not only the anniversary edition but also the festival’s longer-term direction.

The 2026 gathering is already larger than last year’s 184-film program. It also arrives as Japan’s screen industries seek a broader global audience, giving the festival a dual role: a public celebration of cinema and a marketplace where filmmakers, distributors and cultural institutions can build future projects. The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival runs through November 4.