The 23rd edition of the Tokyo market will gather industry executives to evaluate the shift from the traditional production committee system toward new financial and collaborative models.
TIFFCOM, the primary content market affiliated with the Tokyo International Film Festival, has detailed its conference lineup for its 23rd edition, scheduled from October 28 to 30 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho-Kan. The upcoming event will gather global film, television, and animation rights holders, buyers, and producers to evaluate new opportunities in the content business. This year, the programmatic focus is heavily directed toward international co-productions and the modernization of content financing within the Japanese and broader Asian markets.
A key highlight of the agenda is the evaluation of investment structures in the region. The Japanese audiovisual industry has historically relied on the production committee system to foster collaboration and mitigate financial risks among business partners. However, the requirement to scale production budgets, expand into international markets, and improve financial returns for creators has prompted the sector to explore alternative funding models involving external investors and financial institutions.
To address this structural shift, UNIJAPAN will organize the panel Film Funds in Japan: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What Comes Next on October 30. The session will assess the real-world viability and persistent challenges of these alternative paths. Moderated by Hotaka Sugimoto, Editor-in-Chief of Branc, the panel will feature a multi-disciplinary approach covering production, corporate finance, and law. Confirmed speakers include Muneyuki Kii, CEO and Producer at K2 Pictures; Tomonobu Ibe, CEO of Questry; Keita Nakagawa, Managing Director at MUFG Bank; and Yusuke Motoyanagi, Partner at Nishimura & Asahi. The executives will discuss critical factors such as investor participation, risk distribution, governance transparency, and the utilization of debt.
International collaboration serves as the second major pillar of the conference program. The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will host a dedicated panel on October 29 aimed at building the next wave of global partnerships with Japan. This session will feature strategic insights from Shion Komatsu, Sales Manager at TOHO Global, and Yuna Kamiura, Producer at K2 Pictures. Furthermore, ATMOVIE GLOBAL TRACK and Ties That Bind have scheduled a session on October 30 to outline actionable steps for establishing successful co-production partnerships, delivered by ATMOVIE CEO Takeshi Moriya.
The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (TGFM) will also host a series of talks designed to connect regional projects with international structures. The first session will analyze how genre content operates within co-production markets, featuring Tania Morissette from the Fantasia International Film Festival, alongside producers Tomomi Furuyama and Yasushi Miyamae. A subsequent TGFM panel will compare co-production support mechanisms across different territories, gathering perspectives from Yana Chang of Brazil’s ABRASIA, Savine Wong of Telefilm Canada, and Kaori Ikeda of UNIJAPAN, under the moderation of AFAN’s Lorna Tee.
Showcasing specific regional pipelines, the event will also feature the Linmon Content Showcase 2026-2027, where executives Roy Lu and Alex Qiao will outline the upcoming international distribution plans for the production company.
Complementing the networking and pitching sessions, the market continues to expand its incentives for developing projects. During the event, TIFFCOM will introduce the newly established Mellow Tunes Sound Design Award, which grants up to US$10,000 in in-kind post-production services provided by the Thailand-based facility. Through these targeted sessions and industry awards, the market aims to structure a viable roadmap for content creators and investors looking to navigate the evolving financial landscape of the global audiovisual sector.
