# Rolf de Heer Named President of Tokyo Film Festival Jury

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/rolf-de-heer-named-president-of-tokyo-film-festival-jury/
- Published: 2026-09-24T06:33:36+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-24T12:47:24+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/rolf-de-heer-president-tokyo-film-festival-jury-1236872048/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film, Government, Politics

## Key points

- Australian filmmaker Rolf de Heer appointed Tokyo Film Festival jury president for 39th edition
- Four-decade career spanning 15½ features with major international festival awards
- Festival runs late October; his award-winning "The Survival of Kindness" screens in Australia Spotlight

## Summary

The Tokyo International Film Festival has appointed Australian director Rolf de Heer as president of the international competition jury for its 39th edition. The honour recognises his four-decade career as a distinctive filmmaker and his commitment to exploring new possibilities in cinema. As jury president, de Heer will assess at least 15 competition films alongside fellow filmmakers.

De Heer has directed 15½ features, written or co-written 14 screenplays that reached the screen, and produced or co-produced 16 fiction films and five documentaries. His career achievements include the Venice Special Jury Prize for "Bad Boy Bubby" (1993), Cannes recognition for "Ten Canoes" (2006), and a Berlin Fipresci Prize for "The Survival of Kindness" (2022), which will screen in TIFF's Australia Spotlight showcase. The festival runs from 26 October to 4 November, with the industry market TIFFCOM taking place 28–30 October.

## Coverage

- [Variety: Rolf de Heer Named President of Tokyo Film Festival Jury](https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/rolf-de-heer-president-tokyo-film-festival-jury-1236872048/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: Rolf de Heer Named Jury President for Tokyo Film Festival](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/rolf-de-heer-jury-president-tokyo-film-festival-1236709047/)

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.