The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (TGFM) has revealed the 15 projects selected for financing and development at TIFFCOM, the content market of Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).
The 4th edition of TGFM will take place in-person for the first time from October 25-27, having launched during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when all industry activity took place online.
Scroll down for full list of titles
Projects include The Fox King by Malaysia’s Woo Ming Jin, whose revenge thriller Stone Turtle premiered in competition at Locarno in 2022 where it won the Fipresci prize; and The Thonglor Kids by Thailand’s Aditya Assarat, whose debut feature Wonderful Town won the top prizes at Busan and Rotterdam, and was at Cannes in 2018 as part of anthology feature Ten Years Thailand. Stone Turtle was selected for TGFM in 2021.
Four projects from Japan include The Killer Goldfish, which marks the next project from Yukihiko Tsutsumi, veteran director of blockbuster franchise 20th Century Boys as well as 12 Suicidal Teens and First Love.
Further Japanese projects include a live-action adaptation of iconic manga series Getter Robo, co-written and directed by Junya Okabe; an untitled feature produced by Toei Company and directed by Kazuya Shiraishi, known for action thrillers The Blood Of Wolves and its sequel; and Meets The World by Daigo Matsui, whose Wonderful World End played the Berlinale in 2015 while Just Remembering won Tokyo’s audience award and a special mention in 2021.
Animation titles include Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain, directed by Liane-Cho Han and Maïlys Vallade. Han is known for working on the animation for Sylvain Chomet’s Oscar-nominated The Illusionist and Rémi Chayé’s Long Way North. The French production is adapted from the eponymous novel by Belgian writer Amélie Northomb, inspired by her early years growing up in Japan.
A further animated project is Shriek, directed by Singapore’s Jerrold Chong, whose short Piece Of Meat played in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2019.
Unlike previous editions, when TV series projects were included, this year’s TGFM will focus solely on feature films. Eligible projects must have 60% of the total budget secured and have an Asia-related element.
One-to-one meetings with potential investors including producers, sales agents, distributors and financiers will take place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Centre, Hamamatsucho-Kan. TGFM is hosted by Unijapan, the industry body that organises TIFFCOM.
Projects that previously participated in TGFM include Élise Girard’s Sidonie In Japan, which premiered at this year’s Venice, and Indonesian director Edwin’s 2021 Locarno Golden Leopard winner Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash.
Tokyo Gap-Financing Market 2023
Feature Film - Fiction
To Be Announced (Japan)
Dir Kazuya Shiraishi
Prod Toei Company
The Fox King (Malay-Indo)
Dir Woo Ming Jin
Prod Greenlight Pictures
Home A Loan (S Kor)
Dir Kim Tae-kyeong
Prod Hive Filmworks
Kade: Land Of The Rising Sun (Can)
Dir Sean O’Reilly
Prod Arcana Studio
The Killer Goldfish (Japan)
Dir Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Prod Atmovie
Live Action Film “Getter Robo” (Japan)
Dir Junya Okabe
Prod Big One
Lynx (Kazak)
Dir Sharipa Urazbayeva
Prod Filmstar.kz
Meets The World (Japan)
Dir Daigo Matsui
Prod The Klockworx
Najwa (Turk-Iran-Rom-Bul)
Dir Gozde Kural
Prods Toz Film, Seven Springs Pictures
Solo (India-Fr-Tai-Nor)
Dir Suman Sen
Prods Flash Forward Entertainment, Suitable Pictures
The Thonglor Kids (Thai-Sing)
Dir Aditya Assarat
Prod Akanga Film Asia
Feature Film - Animation
Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain (Fr)
Dirs Liane-Cho Han, Maïlys Vallade
Prods Maybe Movies, Ikki Films
Papa: Game On (Malay)
Dir Nizam Abd Razak
Prod Monsta
Shriek (Greece-US-Sing)
Dir Jerrold Chong
Prod AddArt Productions, Ike aka Funny Tales
The Violinist (Sing-Sp-Malay)
Dir Ervin Han
Prod Robot Playground Media
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