34th Tokyo International Film Festival

The 34th Tokyo International Film Festival was a film festival that took place from 30 October to 8 November 2021. This was the first iteration of the festival in two years, as the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival due to be held in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic French actress Isabelle Huppert served as jury president. With Vera Dreams of the Sea winning the Tokyo Grand Prix, the festival's top prize, Kaltrina Krasniqi became the third female director to achieve the prize, after Caroline Link in 1997 and Lorraine Lévy in 2012.

The official poster for the festival was created by fashion designer Koshino Junko and is intended to represent the theme of "crossing borders" created by the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic disparities, and international conflict.

The festival opened with Cry Macho directed by Clint Eastwood and closed with Dear Evan Hansen directed by Stephen Chbosky.

Juries

International Competition

• Isabelle Huppert, French actress
• Aoyama Shinji, Japanese writer-director
• Chris Fujiwara, American film critic
• Lorna Tee, Malaysian producer
• Hiroko Sebu, Japanese film score composer

Asian Future

• Han Yanli, Japanese professor at the University of Tokyo
• Hojo Masato, Japanese film distribution manager
• Ishii Yuya, Japanese director

Amazon Prime Video Take One

• Isao Yukisada, Japanese director
• Makiko Watanabe, Japanese actress
• Toshihiro Isomi, Japanese art director
• Andrijana Cvetkovik, Macedonian director and former ambassador of North Macedonia to Japan

Venues

The following 7 venues were hosted the festival screenings.

• Tokyo Midtown Hibiya
• Toho Cinemas Chanter
• Tokyo International Forum
• Yurakucho Yomiuri Hall
• Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho
• Humantrust Cinema Yurakucho
• Cine Switch Ginza

Official Selection

Competition

The following films were selected to compete for the Tokyo Grand Prix.

Asian Future

The following films were selected for the Asian Future section.

Gala Selection

The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Gala Selection.

World Focus

The following films were selected for the World Focus section, which focuses on international films.

Nippon Cinema Now

The following films were selected for Nippon Cinema Now, which aims to introduce Japanese films to international audiences.

Japanese Animation

The following films were selected for the Japanese Animation section.

Japanese Classics

The following films were selected for the Japanese Classics section.

Youth

The following films were selected for the Youth section.

TIFF Series

The following television series were selected for the TIFF Series section.

Awards

Competition

• Tokyo Grand Prix: Vera Dreams of the Sea by Kaltrina Krasniqi
• Special Jury Prize: La civil by Teodora Mihai
• Award for Best Director: Darezhan Omirbaev for Poet
• Award for Best Actress: Julia Chávez for The Other Tom
• Award for Best Actor: Amir Aghaei, Fatih Al, Barış Yıldız, and Onur Buldu for The Four Walls
• Award for Best Artistic Contribution: Crane Lantern by Hilal Baydarov
• Audience Award: Just Remembering by Matsui Daigo

Asian Future

• Asian Future Best Film Award: World, Northern Hemisphere by Hossein Tehrani

Amazon Prime Video Take One

• Amazon Prime Video Take One Award: Sunday & Calm sea by Yunsoo Kim
• Amazon Prime Video Take One Award Special Jury Prize: Midori Sangoumi for Under the Bridge

References