The Tokyo International Film Festival is launching its first Women's Empowerment section. This year's edition of the festival will also feature the work of (male) director Irie Yu in its Nippon Cinema Now segment.
Opening Ceremony of the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival
Film festivals in Asia have been slower than their North American and European counterparts to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion principles into their structures and selections. But in 2021, the Tokyo festival became the first Asian film festival to sign a contract with Collectif 50/50, an international organization that promotes gender equality in the film industry.
Now, the festival says the Women's Empowerment section “will take TIFF a step further in terms of gender issues […] celebrate the achievements of women and […] further broaden the horizons of future cinema.”
Co-organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Women's Empowerment will showcase films directed by female filmmakers and/or focusing on women. Seven titles are expected to be selected in this first year.
