Ichiyama Shozo

Born in 1963. As a producer for Shochiku Co., Ltd. and Office Kitano Inc., Ichiyama mainly produced works by the non-Japanese filmmakers. His major films include Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Flowers of Shanghai (1998), Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize-winning director Samira Makhmalbaf's Blackboards (2000), and Cannes Film Festival Best Screenplay winner A Touch of Sin (2013) directed by Jia Zhangke. He was also in charge of selecting films for the Tokyo International Film Festival from 1992 to 1999. In 2000, he launched the Film Festival Tokyo FILMeX and served as the director. Since 2013, he has been a visiting professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media. He is the recipient of the 2019 Kawakita Award. He was appointed Programming Director of the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2021.

Ishizaka Kenji

Born in 1960. Ishizaka began critiquing Asian and documentary films after majoring in film studies in Waseda University’s Graduate School. He planned and managed an Asia-Middle East Film Festival Series from 1990 to 2007 for the Japan Foundation.
Ishizaka has been serving as Asian Section's Programming Director for TIFF since its 20th edition in 2007. He has been serving as Senior Programmer since 2020. He concurrently holds the position of professor and dean of the Japan Institute of the Moving Image. He has written several books, including “Amidst the Ocean of the Documentary,” published by Gendaishokan Co., Ltd. (As he is currently in the United States as a visiting professor at the University of Michigan, he is in charge of selecting the works this year.)

Fujitsu Ryota

Animation critic. Born in 1968 in Shizuoka prefecture. Originally a newspaper reporter and weekly magazine editor, Fujitsu started writing about animation in 2000. Fujitsu’s works include books such as "Anime Hyoronka Sengen – Revised Edition" (Chikuma Bunko), "Anime no Rinkaku" (Seidosha), "Anime to Senso" (Nihon Hyoronsha). He serves as lecturer at Tokyo Polytechnic University.

Andrijana Cvetkovikj

Andrijana Cvetkovikj was Macedonia's first ambassador to Japan and received the WIN Inspiring Women Worldwide Award in 2022. She holds a Ph.D. in Cinema Studies from Nihon University, an honorary Doctorate from the European University, and was a visiting professor at Kyoto University. As a filmmaker, she has received an Award of Excellence from the Japan Association of Audiovisual Producers. She has spoken at the World Economic Forum and UN Conferences. She was Chief Curator of the SDGs in Motion at TIFF 2023 and a jury member for the Amazon Prime Video Take One Award in 2021.

Comment from Andrijana Cvetkovikj, Senior Programmer

For years, screen representation has been limited by a predominantly male perspective, missing a fuller range of experiences. However, with advancements in digital technology, filmmaking has become more accessible, leading to a surge in female directors, writers, and protagonists. This year's TIFF program highlights these emerging voices, celebrating their diverse stories and contributions to cinema.