Venice, Sundance-award winning filmmakers named for Tokyo Gap Financing Market

Venice award-winner Nguyen Hoang Diep and Renoir co-producer Alemberg Ang are among the 23 filmmakers whose projects have been selected for the upcoming Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (TGFM).

The 6th edition of the financing and development platform is set to take place from October 29-31 during TIFFCOM, the content market of Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

This year’s selected features include three more titles than 2024, from 26 different countries.

Scroll down for full list of titles

The titles, spanning 26 countries and regions, include Vietnamese director Nguyen Hoang Diep with 1982, whose debut Flapping In The Middle Of Nowhere won best film at Venice Critics’ Week in 2014.

Filipino director Rafael Manuel will present the feature film adaptation of his short Filipiñana made by Magnify and Film4, which won the Silver Bear jury prize at the Berlinale in 2020, while Japanese animation filmmaker Ayumu Watanabe, known for helming numerous Doraemon films, has teamed with Genco for Freedom In The Sky – the first ever Japanese feature-length animation to be selected for TGFM.

International co-productions with Japan include Staring At Your Back, a Japan-South Korea adaptation of a Japanese manga, directed by Kun-jae Jang; Pedor Collantes’ Tokyo-set Kobini, a co-production with Spain; and Natsuki Seta’s Taiwan co-production Polaris.

Ang, who co-produced Chie Hayakawa’s Cannes’ titles Renoir and Plan 75, is set to present Hum from director Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, whose The Headhunter’s Daughter won the Sundance’s grand jury prize in 2022.

Three projects from Italy were selected by the Italian Ministry of Culture and Cinecittà as part of the Italy-Japan co-production treaty, launched in August 2024, including an Italy-Philippines co-production I Have To Fuck Before The World Ends from Andrea Benjamin Manenti; Eros Puglielli’sTokyo Express; and Copperbreak from directors Adriano Candiago, Giorgio Scorza and Davide Rosio.

To qualify, projects must have 60% of their total budget secured and an Asia-related element.

One-to-one meetings with potential investors including producers, sales agents, distributors and financiers will take place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Centre Hamamatsucho-Kan. TGFM is hosted by Unijapan, the industry body that organises TIFFCOM.

Films at last year’s market included Tetsuya Mariko’s Dear Stranger, which is set to screen at Busan; and Morte Cucina, a Thailand-Luxembourg-Singapore-Taiwan-US co-production from Pen-ek Ratanaruang, which is due to play at San Sebastian.

Tokyo Gap-Financing Market 2025

Feature Film – Fiction

1982 (Viet)
Dir. Nguyen Hoang Diep 
Prodco. O Kia Hanoi

Bunny Fever (Japan)
Dir. Shinji Araki
Prodco. Cogitoworks Ltd.

The Chain of Roses (Japan)
Dir. Sakichi Sato
Prodco. Dub Inc.

Dinosaur Boy (China–HK–Malay)
Dir. Zhiquan Liu
Prodco. Kalo Concept Pictures, Yiti Film Production

Filipinana (Sing–UK–Phil)
Dir. Rafael Manuel
Prodco. Potocol, Ossian International, Epicmedia

Four Seasons in Java (Indo–Neth–Nor–Fr–Ger–Sing)
Dir. Kamila Andini
Prodco. Forka Films

Hare – Before the Verdict (Japan)
Dir. Kentaro Kishi
Prodco. Oz Co., Ltd.

Hum (Phil–US–Pol–Sing)
Dir. Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Prodco. Daluyong Studios, Prima Materia Pictures

Konbini (Sp–Japan)
Dir. Pedro Collantes
Prodco. Aquí y Allí Films

Pivot (Turk–Tai–Ger–Ser)
Dir. Melisa Onel
Prodco. Vigo Film, Aniden Film

Polaris (Japan–Tai)
Dir. Natsuki Seta
Prodco. Twenty First City

Rhizome (Thai–Lao–Fr–Sing)
Dir. Jakrawal Nilthamrong
Prodco. Mit Out Sound Films (TH)

The Serpent (Braz)
Dir. Diogo Hayashi
Prodco. Quarta-feira Filmes

The Sleepless Girl (Tai)
Dir. François Chang
Prodco. Flash Forward Entertainment

Staring at Your Back (S Kor–Japan)
Dir. Kun-jae Jang
Prodco. Mocushura Inc.

Feature Film – Animation

Anito (Phil)
Dir. John Aurthur Mercader
Prodco. The Puppeteer Animation Studios, Inc.

Freedom in the Sky (Japan)
Dir. Ayumu Watanabe
Prodco. GENCO Inc.

Garuda: Dare to Dream (Indo)
Dir. Ronny Gani
Prodco. KAWI Animation

Killtube (Japan)
Dir. Kazuaki Kuribayashi
Prodco. Chocolate Inc.

Onka and the Protectors of the Amazon (Col–Sp–Bel)
Dir. Vlamyr Vizcaya Sánchez
Prodco. El Tuerto Pictures SAS

Italian Projects

I Have to Fuck Before the World Ends (It–Phil)
Dir. Andrea Benjamin Manenti
Prodco. Volos Films Italia SRL

Tokyo Express (It)
Dir. Eros Puglielli
Prodco. Be Water Film S.r.l.

Copperbeak (It)
Dirs. Adriano Candiago, Giorgio Scorza, Davide Rosio
Prodco. Movimenti Production Srl

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