# Tokyo festival revives Asian cinema initiative with new Japanese and women’s awards

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/tokyo-film-festival-2026-launches-nippon-cinema-now-competition-kawakita-award-for-women-filmmakers-and-expanded-southeast-asia-section/
- Published: 2026-09-07T02:09:18+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-07T08:15:17+00:00
- Topics: Asia, Entertainment, Film, World

## Key points

- TIFF adds Japanese film competition, Southeast Asia strand and women's award
- Crosscut Asia+ debuts with six-film "Side by Side" line-up
- Critic Hata Sahoko wins inaugural Kawakita Kashiko Award

## Summary

The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has confirmed three new initiatives for its 39th edition, running 26 October to 4 November: a competitive Nippon Cinema Now section for Japanese filmmakers, an expanded Southeast Asia strand called Crosscut Asia+, and the Kawakita Kashiko Award recognising women's contributions to cinema. Festival director Hisamatsu Takeo said the changes are intended to spotlight Japanese talent internationally and give emerging and established filmmakers a stronger platform on the global stage, marking a deliberate broadening of TIFF's remit.

Nippon Cinema Now will hand out a Best Film prize and a Special Jury Prize, judged by a mixed Japanese and international panel. Crosscut Asia+, developed with the Japan Foundation as successor to the 2014–2019 Crosscut Asia strand, opens with a six-film line-up under the theme "Side by Side", curated jointly by programmers from Jakarta and Tokyo. The inaugural Kawakita Kashiko Award, named after pioneering film distributor Kawakita Kashiko, has been given to critic and former distribution executive Hata Sahoko, who brought films including "Mon Oncle" and "Breathless" to Japanese audiences and said she accepted the honour to pass on Kawakita's legacy to women in the industry.

## Coverage

- [Deadline: Tokyo Film Festival Launches Nippon Cinema Now & Kashiko Kawakita Awards; Relaunches Crosscut Asia Section ](https://deadline.com/2026/09/tokyo-film-festival-kashiko-kawakita-crosscut-asia-1237068819/)
- [Variety: Tokyo Film Festival Adds Nippon Cinema Now Competition, Crosscut Asia+ Section, New Award Honoring Women in Film](https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/tokyo-film-festival-new-competition-award-honoring-women-1236852405/)

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