EXCLUSIVE: Takeo Hisamatsu has revealed how he plans to evolve Tokyo International Film Festival ahead of his first edition as festival director.
In his first interview since taking the role in April, Hisamatsu said he wanted to broaden the festival’s audience through more commercial films while also selecting an increased number of features from Japanese filmmakers.
“I’m looking at moving the balance between art and entertainment a little more toward the entertainment side,” Hisamatsu told Screen in Cannes. “I’m from the entertainment side while [TIFF] programming director Shozo Ichiyama is very good with art movies so we’re the perfect combination. Cinema should be exciting and not just for the elite.”
The veteran distribution and studio executive has previously held senior roles at Warner Bros Japan and entertainment company Shochiku. Hisamatsu returned to the role of festival director on April 14), having previously held the position at TIFF from 2017-21. He took on the duties of Hiroyasu Ando, who will step down as TIFF chairman on May 31 after seven years.
“I also want to increase the presence of Japanese films at the festival,” said Hisamatsu. “The Japanese government strongly supports the content industry, and their hope is to make Japanese content more prominent on the global stage. We should take part in those endeavours. One of our festival’s missions is to introduce our young filmmakers, reward them and help them thrive.”
Hisamatsu has been attending Cannes for more than 35 years and recalled visiting with Akira Kurosawa with the iconic filmmaker’s penultimate film, Rhapsody In August, in 1991 and with director Martin Scorsese and star Leonardo DiCaprio in 2002 with Gangs Of New York, as Shochiku had acquired distribution rights in Japan.
“I will see heads of other film festivals, such as [Cannes general delegate] Thierry Fremaux,” he said. “I will be asking them to go easy on us and please leave some films for us,” quipped Hisamatsu, with a laugh.
More sincerely, he pointed to the short time between Busan International Film Festival and Tokyo. This year, the two biggest film festivals in Asia will be less than two weeks apart, with Busan running October 6-15 and Tokyo taking place October 26 to November 4. Each will also host markets – the Asian Contents & Film Market and TIFFCOM, respectively.
“The time between Busan and Tokyo is very close,” said Hisamatsu. “We are competing, especially for Asian movies, so that’s not good for either of us. Their festival used to be at the end of September. Maybe we will discuss it in Cannes to ensure there is a comfortable gap.”
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