International
Five Asian world premieres compete at Tokyo fest
NEW DELHI: Five Asian films will have their world premieres in competition at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival next month. The Festival will be held from 17-25 October.
The entries include two films from Japanese directors, Fukada Koji’s Au revoir l‘été and actor-turned-director Sakaki Hideo‘s Disregarded People based on George Akiyama‘s novel.
Fukada‘s debut film, Hospitalité (2010), debuted at the Tokyo festival three years ago in a now-retired section for local indies. His new film stars Nikaido Fumi as a teenager having a holiday romance.
 |
|---|
Non-Japanese Asian films competing are Ning Ying‘s To Live and Die in Ordos from China, Jun Robles Lana‘s dramaBarber‘s Tales from the Philippines, and the Kim Ki-duk produced black comedy Red Family.
Non-Asian films in the 15-strong competition include Daniele Luchetti‘s drama Those Happy Days from Italy, Levan Koguashvili‘s comedy Blind Dates from Georgia and Richard Ayoade‘s thriller The Double from the UK.
The jury, headed by Chinese director Chen Kaige, is comprised of South Korean actress Mun So-ri, Japanese actress Terajima Shinobu, UK-Australian producer Chris Brown and American director Chris Weitz.
They are 22 Japanese feature films in the lineup, representing more than half the Asian titles. There are also six films from Taiwan, part of an already-announced special focus, and three each from China and Philippines.
The Special Screenings section includes films by Shinjo Takehiko, Kumazawa Naoto and Motoki Katsuhide alongside films directed by Luc Besson, Sofia Coppola and Steven Soderbergh.
Dante Lam’s Unbeatable and Vicki Zhao’s So Young screen in the World Focus section with Alex van Warmerdam‘s Borgman (Netherlands), Amal Escalante‘s Heli (Mexico) and Ulrich Seidl‘s Love trilogy (Austria).
Two new competitive sections have been introduced this year, Asian Future and Japanese Cinema Splash, to replace the long-running Winds of Asia-Middle East (2007-2012) and Japanese Eyes (2004-2012) respectively.
The new Asian Future section for first- and second-time directors includes Juno MAK‘s Rigor Mortis, Mikhail RED‘s Rekorder and Kim Jeong-hun‘s Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) graduation feature Stray Dogs.
Japanese Cinema Splash, includes new films by Ogata Akira, Saito Hisashi and Matsui Daigo. It will also screen the winning film of the 35th Pia Film Festival (14-20 September 2013).
International
Moskino and Bollywood: Moscow Film Cluster and Film City Mumbai signed a cooperation agreement
Moscow Film Cluster has signed a cooperation agreement with Film City Mumbai. The parties agreed to cooperate in developing the film industry, promoting shooting locations and supporting filmmakers.
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the India International Film Tourism (IIFTC) Conclave in Mumbai. At this forum, the Moscow Film Cluster presented Moscow’s opportunities for film shooting, including infrastructure projects such as Film City Moskino and Film Factory. Special attention was paid to the Moscow rebate system – up to 45% – and the co-production development.
Memorandum of Understanding between the Film City and Moscow Film Cluster provides for the establishment and development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the film industry development, including joint promotion of shooting locations, support for filmmakers, implementation of marketing and industry events, development of incentive support measures and strengthening of economic and cultural interaction between India and Moscow.
The parties also intend to promote the development of the audiovisual sector through the exchange of experience, joint initiatives and the search for opportunities to create new industry partnerships and clusters.
Moscow Film Cluster is a major city initiative led by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to develop the capital into a global cinema hub. It brings together key production infrastructure – such as the Moskino Film Сity, Film Factory and Gorky Film Studio – along with the Film Commission, digital platform and cinema chain to streamline shooting, support productions and attract international filmmaking to Moscow.
Also, Moscow offers a rebate of up to 45%: 30% as direct production cost compensation, up to 15% for visa and accommodation support. The Moscow Image Grant provides up to $255,000 for films showcasing iconic city views.
The Moscow Film Cluster booth attracted considerable attention from Indian producers and studios. Over 80 business meetings were held, including those with major Indian companies.
One of the booth guests was the famous Indian actress Khushboo Sundar, known to Soviet and Russian audiences for her role in My Soul and considered the leading star of Tamil cinema, in whose honor one of the local temples was even built. Prithul Kumar, representative of the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of the officials responsible for regulating the film industry in the country, also expressed interest in the development of the Moscow Film Cluster.
One of the highlights of the India International Film Tourism Conclave was the awarding of The Greatest of All Time in the For Cinematic Excellence category. The movie was shot in Moscow. The jury members noted the project’s contribution to the development of tourism.
The shooting of The Greatest of All Time AGS by Entertainment was organized with the assistance of the Moscow Film Cluster and the Moscow Film Commission and took place in April 2024 on the streets of Moscow. The scenes were shot in such famous locations as Patriarch Bridge, Teatralnaya Square, Manezhnaya Square, Kazarmenny Lane, Podsosensky Lane, Nikolskaya Street and one of the festival venues of Moscow Seasons.
The Greatest of All Time became a landmark event in Indian box office history. It ranked fourth in box office earnings among all movies released in India in 2024 and is one of the most successful Tamil-language movies in history.
At the same time, the shooting of another joint Russian-Indian movie started at the Moskino Film City in Moscow. A film project dedicated to badminton became one of the first participants in the Moscow rebate program.
A project by Smena & WISH Media (Russia) and Kartina Entertainment And Sports Private Limited (India) will tell the story of a badminton player who travels to India with the Russian national team to compete in a tournament. Russian viewers will see for the first time the scale of sporting competitions in Asia, where badminton is a cult sport and draws packed stands of fans.
The agreement on the joint production of the Smash movie was signed st the Moscow International Film Week in August 2025. And as Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, a rebate application was also submitted at that time to reimburse part of the costs incurred during the shooting process in the Russian capital.
