TIFFCOM reveals boost in exhibitors as it readies expanded market

TIFFCOM, the film market that runs alongside Tokyo International Film Festival, has seen a 14% increase in the number of exhibitors booked for this year’s event, according to CEO Yasushi Shiina.

Taking place from October 29-31 at Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center, TIFFCOM also includes the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (TGFM), which will introduce awards for the first time; the third Tokyo Story Market, which has been renamed Tokyo IP Market: Adaptation & Remake; and will grow its programme from 15 to 20 seminars.

“As of late October, TIFFCOM has 322 exhibiting companies, up from 283 last year,” said Shiina. “Among them, 128 are from Japan and 194 from overseas, showing steady growth in both domestic and international participation. Booth sales were almost sold out by early July, reflecting strong demand and growing confidence in the market.”

Overseas exhibitors account for around 60% of the total and Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand will have major presences at the market, each organising large pavilions with numerous participating companies.

Shiina also pointed to Southeast Asia as a region that was displaying major growth. “Southeast Asia’s content market is growing rapidly and producing outstanding works,” he said. “The number of films selected from the region at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival has also increased. At TIFFCOM, we will focus on the business side through seminars on Southeast Asia’s flexible co-production models and the expanding animation market, while project market TGFM has also selected eight projects from the region.”

TGFM, now in its sixth edition, will hand out awards for the first time on October 31. They include the Tokyo Projects Award, which includes a cash prize of ¥2m ($13,000), and the Asian Gen-Z Award worth ¥500,000 ($3,300), of which the latter is decided by five film students. In-kind awards include the Kongchak Award from Cambodia’s Kongchak Studio and the White Light Award from Thailand’s White Light. Both include post-production services worth $25,000. A selection of 23 projects will vie for the prizes.

“Many participants expressed that having awards would be valuable,” said TIFFCOM managing director Kaori Ikeda on the decision to introduce the prizes. “We believe it will motivate both applicants and participants. Through the awards and ceremony, we hope projects will gain greater exposure to industry professionals and attract companies seeking to collaborate with promising projects.”

The expanded seminar program will include a keynote from Tetsu Fujimura, executive producer of the Netflix live-action series One Piece, who will discuss the globalisation of Japanese IP. Shebnem Askin, the head of Sony Pictures International Productions will share strategies for adapting strong local IPs from Japan and other countries into productions for different markets.

Further seminars will be presented by Schuyler Weiss, producer of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, and Choi Yoonhee, CEO of Parasite producer Barunson E&A.

“Last year’s seminar sessions received very positive feedback and many were fully booked,” says Ikeda. “We regard this as a reflection of the strong demand for up-to-date insights and trends in the rapidly changing content industry. This year, we cover diverse themes such as IP strategy, co-production, animation, and Asian series and films.”

The recently rebranded Tokyo IP Market: Adaptation & Remake will this year introduce not just book adaptation rights such as manga and novels, but also remake rights, with participation from leading Japanese production companies such as Toei.

TGFM Morning Sessions have also been introduced to provide participants and Japanese producers interested in international partnerships with practical insights into co-production and financing.

Asked what makes the market different from others in Asia and around the world, Ikeda added: “TIFFCOM is unique in bringing together film, television, animation, and IP all under one roof. Among Asian markets, its location in Tokyo, a vibrant metropolis full of cultural and creative energy, and access to a wide range of Japanese content not found elsewhere make it especially distinctive.”

This story originally appeared on our sister site Screen