# Tokyo Film Festival Launches Nippon Cinema Now & Kashiko Kawakita Awards; Relaunches Crosscut Asia Section 

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/tokyo-film-festival-launches-nippon-cinema-now-relaunches-crosscut-asia-section/
- Published: 2026-09-07T00:02:18+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-07T00:31:30+00:00
- Original publisher: Deadline
- Original article: https://deadline.com/2026/09/tokyo-film-festival-kashiko-kawakita-crosscut-asia-1237068819/
- Topics: Asia, Entertainment, Film, World

## Key points

- Tokyo Film Festival adds new Nippon Cinema Now awards for emerging talent
- New Kashiko Kawakita Award honours women, first won by critic Hata Sahoko
- Crosscut Asia section relaunches as Crosscut Asia+ with Japan Foundation

## Summary

The Tokyo International Film Festival (running 26 October to 4 November) has announced three new initiatives, including fresh awards in its Nippon Cinema Now section and a new prize honouring women in cinema, alongside a relaunched Southeast Asian film strand. The changes are aimed at giving emerging Japanese filmmakers stronger global exposure and recognising the historic contribution of women to the film industry, while renewing the festival's focus on Southeast Asian cinema after a five-year gap.

Nippon Cinema Now will introduce a Best Film prize and a Special Jury Prize, judged by a mixed panel of Japanese and international industry figures to support undiscovered domestic talent. A new Kashiko Kawakita Award, named after the pioneering "Madame Kawakita" who introduced European cinema to Japan, will be presented for the first time to critic Hata Sahoko, chosen by an all-female committee. The festival is also reviving its Crosscut Asia strand as "Crosscut Asia+" in partnership with the Japan Foundation, screening titles such as Filipiñana, Four Seasons In Java, Becoming Human and the 1957 Indonesian film Turang, alongside panel discussions curated by programmers from Indonesia and Japan.

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