With record-breaking participation, significant market expansion, and new strategic alliances with Southeast Asia, the 22nd edition of TIFFCOM reaffirmed its status as one of the most important international events for the film, television, and digital content industries.
Held from October 29 to 31, 2025, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho-kan, the content market associated with the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) brought together 322 exhibitors —an unprecedented figure— and thousands of professionals from Japan and around the world. Producers, distributors, platform executives, and sales agents spent three days in intensive negotiations, specialized seminars, and pitching sessions that showcased the vitality of the sector and the growing global reach of Japanese intellectual property.
The organizers reported that attendance far exceeded expectations, with long lines forming each morning as visitors arrived to register on-site. Nearly 80% of surveyed buyers said they had developed new business opportunities, while half had initiated negotiations on projects in development — confirming that TIFFCOM remains Asia’s premier hub for content business.
Strategic Alliances and Regional Development
Tamotsu Shiina, Vice President of the UniJapan Foundation and Executive Director of TIFFCOM, stated in his review that the market “has evolved in response to the increasing demand to visualize Japanese intellectual property,” now giving a strong boost to international co-production.
This year, cooperation with ASEAN countries took center stage. The success of delegations and producers from Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam translated into new co-development agreements, creative workshops, and forums dedicated to regional financing.
Kaori Ikeda, General Director of TIFFCOM, also emphasized the strengthening of different market segments, notably the launch of the renewed Tokyo IP Market: Adaptation & Remake, evolved from the previous Tokyo Story Market. This expanded space brought together publishers, anime studios, and film producers holding remake rights, fostering encounters between Japanese creators and international producers seeking to adapt manga, novels, and video games into other audiovisual formats.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (TGFM) grew in prominence as a key venue for developing new feature films through international funding. To further encourage early creative collaborations and give visibility to projects seeking partners, the first-ever TGFM Awards Ceremony was held, among other new initiatives.
TGFM Awards and Pitching Contests
The Tokyo Project Award, valued at JPY 2 million, was presented to Four Seasons in Java, which also received the Kongchak Award, offered by Cambodia’s Kongchak Studio. The film, praised for its narrative maturity and the director’s sensitivity, was honored by TIFF Chairman Hiroyasu Ando to a standing ovation.
Other awards included the Asian Gen-Z Award for HUM and special mentions for I Have to Fuck Before the World Ends and Polaris, the latter also winning the White Light Award, presented by Thailand’s White Light and including post-production services valued at USD 25,000.
This year’s market also featured the latest edition of the MPA/DHU/TIFFCOM Masterclass Seminar & Pitching Contest, co-hosted by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Digital Hollywood University (DHU). In this session, Skyler Weiss —Oscar-nominated producer of Elvis— led the masterclass preceding the pitching competition, which included seven finalists. The MPA Grand Prize went to Find Me: After the Stage by Kang Jihyun, who will receive a scholarship to attend the Global Film & Television Immersion Program in Los Angeles in 2026.
Special Recognition Prizes were awarded to Sin by the Lakeside by Mio Suzuki and Asphalt: Under the Skin by Ryohei Sasatani, both invited to the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia.
An Optimistic Balance and Outlook for TIFFCOM 2026
Beyond the awards, the final day featured themed sessions on Chinese film and television, highlighted by the presentation of the Blue Book of China Film 2025 and the Blue Book of China TV Series 2025, along with new initiatives from the China Pavilion, underscoring Chinese producers’ growing interest in the Japanese market.
The broad variety of activities and the practical value of the sessions —ranging from financing briefings to creative development workshops— were recognized by attendees as one of TIFFCOM’s key strengths, setting it apart from other regional markets.
With continuous growth in the number of exhibitors, attendees, and business deals achieved, TIFFCOM 2025 can be deemed an undeniable success — a reflection of the strength and vitality of Asia’s audiovisual industry amid a rapidly globalizing landscape.
The organizers expressed their “sincere gratitude to all exhibitors and visitors for their kind support and active participation,” and confirmed that details for TIFFCOM 2026 will soon be announced via the official website and newsletters.
