Tokyo Film Festival Heads Dissect 2023 Comeback Edition And Discuss Future Plans: “We Want To Move The Timing Of The Festival”
27.10.2023 - 08:55
/ deadline.com
“Ticket sales have gone up 27%, and we’re only at the midway point, so I’m quite happy,” Ando Hiroyasu, Tokyo Film Festival (TIFF) Chairman, told Deadline as he shuttled between engagements at this year’s busy and buzzy comeback edition.
Hiroyasu assumed the role of Chairman in 2019, sheltering the event through a brutal pandemic, and has since implemented a series of structural changes to increase its global footprint. Some of his statement changes include switching the festival hub from Tokyo’s corporate-heavy Roppongi Hills for the luxury culture district of Hibiya-Ginza, where the festival’s presence now dominates the streets with posters, lanyard-wielding guests, and a smart open-air cinema.
“The number of films shown this year has increased by 25%,” Ando said of the year’s program, adding the biggest difference from previous editions is the number of international visitors.
“Last year, only 104 people came from abroad. This year, that number is almost 2000, including journalists and people associated with the films and the tourists coming to Japan for the festival. That is a big jump, so we are coming back to normal,” he said.
While Ando cut a confident and celebratory figure, his focus remained squarely on what he has previously described as his plan to “upgrade” the festival, which he said still occupies a “rather difficult position” within the festival calendar.
“When we start collecting films from foreign countries in July or August, it’s the holiday season. People are away from their countries, so it’s very difficult to get in touch with distributors,” he said. “In that sense, we have a handicap. We want to move the timing of the festival to a better position, but it’s not so easy.”
TIFF’s long-term