Cannes is to host a market dedicated to Japanese IP at the upcoming Marché du Film.
The Marché has joined forces with TIFFCOM (Tokyo International Film Festival Content Market) to stage the first Japan IP Market, which is set to take place from May 15-17 on the Art Explora catamaran at Cannes’ Vieux-Port.
The platform will focus on Japanese intellectual properties with strong potential for film adaptation and will be a key part of Japan’s selection as the country of honour at this year’s Marché.
It is designed as a high-level networking initiative between Japanese and international companies, and leading Japanese IP holders set to attend include Amuse Creative Studio, Kadokawa Corporation, Nihon Bungeisha, Nippon Animation, Shochiku, Shufu To Seikatsu Sha and Toei Company.
The market will primarily focus on pitch sessions and one-on-one business meetings, alongside a programme of conferences and presentations.
Sessions will include a keynote seminar on the future of Japanese IP in global adaptations, presented by Tetsu Fujimura, executive producer of Netflix’s live-action series One Piece and founder/CEO of Filosophia Inc.
In a keynote session at TIFFCOM in October, Fujimura highlighted that IP-based films have come to dominate the global box office over the past 45 years, growing from 20% of the top 30 box office titles in 1978 to nearly 90% in 2024. That same year, two films in the top 10 worldwide box office – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – were based on Japanese IP.
The new market will also host a France-Japan focus, exploring the long-term creative and industrial partnership between the two countries, with an emphasis on adaptation and cinema. This will include sessions on adapting literary and graphic works for the screen, alongside discussions on animation, video games and the synergies between manga, film and international distribution.
Manga & Anime: Publishers and Broadcasters Driving Success will bring together industry stakeholders, including Crunchyroll and Glénat Editions.
“Japan is renowned as the birthplace of some of the world’s most powerful IP, from manga and anime to novels, remakes and video games,” said Guillaume Esmiol, executive director of the Marché du Film. “This new initiative will create further opportunities to foster international collaborations.”
“The Japan IP Market is an important step for Japanese intellectual property on the global stage,” said Yasushi Shiina, CEO of TIFFCOM. “By bringing together key players from Japan and around the world in Cannes, we aim to create new opportunities for business and international growth.”
The Marché has been growing its focus on IP in recent years with initiatives such as Shoot the Book! and Cannes Remakes. This year’s market will take place from May 12-20 alongside Cannes Film Festival, which runs until May 23.
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