The organisers of the fourth Tokyo Project Gathering (TPG) have unveiled the 34 projects that will take part in this year's edition (Oct 21-24).

Organised by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Japan Institute of Development and Promotion for Picture, and UniJapan, the financing and co-production market will take place at Tokyo's Roppongi Hills complex at the same time as the TIFFCOM contents market (Oct 22-24) and the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 18-26).

The total number of projects has decreased from 38 last year. Japan again accounts for the largest number with ten projects, including A Goldfish Of The Flame from famed 85-year-old director Seijun Suzuki, Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle from veteran FX house Tsuburaya Productions and Tsutenkaku from Nana director Kentaro Otani. The selection also includes three Japanese co-productions with France and the US, including a documentary on famed author and long time Japan resident Donald Richie.

Taiwan is strongly represented with seven projects, including the Leste Chen-produced Tropic Of Cancer, a Japan-themed project from Joint Entertainment, and Zero Chou project Scarlet, presented by Three Dots Entertainment.

Three South Korean companies will pitch - Min Film with Park Heung-shik's latest, Planbee Pictures' The Red House On The Hill under producer Park Jinweon and Iris Entertainment's Quari (Winter Cherry). Hong Kong brings two projects with Kenneth Bi's The Portal while Pang Ho-cheung returns with China co-production The Bus.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's Cooper's Town Productions brings an untitled projected directed by Kazuo Ohno, who met Hoffman through the Sundance lab. The other non-Asian productions also have Japanese connections - Puerto Rican director Israel Lugo's Japon-Pon and French indie project Samurai Fracasse.

The line-up also includes two projects presented in collaboration with Shanghai International Film Festival's China Film Pitch & Catch (CFPC) project market. One of them, Taiwanese filmmaker Leste Chen's The Last Rainstorm, won a top prize there.

Last year's TPG Award went to Japan-Thai coproduction Just As Chao Phraya River Flows, slated to be directed by Nonzee Nimibutr.

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