# Tokyo Jury President Rolf de Heer on FIAPF’s New A-List: ‘It Matters a Great Deal to Some People, and Not at All to Others’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/tokyo-jury-president-rolf-de-heer-on-fiapfs-new-a-list-it-matters-a-great-deal-to-some-people-and-not-at-all-to-others/
- Published: 2026-10-27T03:41:10+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T04:49:50+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/tokyo-jury-chief-rolf-de-heer-fiapf-new-a-list-1236931842/
- Topics: Americas, Entertainment, Film, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- De Heer says Tokyo’s A-list status is unlikely to change the festival much.
- FIAPF named 17 festivals to its new A-list in March.
- Tokyo’s jury will choose a Grand Prix winner from 15 films.

## Summary

Tokyo International Film Festival jury president Rolf de Heer said FIAPF’s new A-list recognition is unlikely to change the festival much, which he believes was already regarded as an A-level event. The designation may help Tokyo attract stronger films, but its importance depends on who is judging: some people care greatly, while others attend simply to watch films.

FIAPF replaced its four-category accreditation system in March with a single list naming 17 A-list festivals, including Tokyo, Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Busan, Shanghai and Cairo. Busan and Toronto were included for the first time. Tokyo’s five-member jury will select the Grand Prix from 15 competition films before the festival ends on 4 November; the panel also discussed co-productions and how to reach agreement on a winner.

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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.