The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce the names that will join this year’s Jury President Tony Leung on the International Competition jury of its 37th edition, running from October 28 – November 6.
 
Tony Leung’s fellow jurors will be Hungarian film director and screenwriter Enyedi Ildikó, who won the Golden Bear for On Body and Soul in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival in 2017; Japanese actress Hashimoto Ai, who served as TIFF’s ambassador for two consecutive years, in 2021 and 2022; French actress Chiara Mastroianni, winner of the Best Performance for her role in Christophe Honoré’s On a Magical Night in the Un Certain Regard section of the 72nd Cannes Film Festival; and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To, renowned as a standard-bearer of Hong Kong noir after his Election was selected for the 58th Cannes Film Festival in 2005.
*See their comments and detailed profiles below.
 
The distinguished jury members, gathered from around the world, will judge fifteen films selected from across the globe, and decide the winners of awards, including the top Tokyo Grand Prix, which will be announced on the final day of the festival, November 6. Please stay tuned for the full lineup of the films and exciting event details.
*Full lineup will be announced at the press conference in late September.
 

 

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Comment from ENYEDI Ildikó
As a rather shy person who feels awkward in many social situations but is longing for meaningful human contacts, being in a jury is always an exceptional, very intense experience. This is not a field for small talk. Jury work is a series of unusually deep and revealing meetings. Meetings with my fellow jury members while passionately discussing what we see, and meeting – through their films – with those filmmakers whose inner drive, imagination, and years-long efforts are there, in front of us, on the silver screen. I am deeply thankful for these memorable occasions. Now, looking forward to this special experience at the Tokyo International Film Festival, I also hope to connect with the amazing Japanese film community that I admire from afar but with great respect and curiosity.
 
Comment from HASHIMOTO Ai
I never imagined that the day would come when I would serve as a jury member at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The responsibility of influencing someone’s life is quite frightening. However, I hope to approach each film with sincerity, engage with it earnestly, and fully immerse myself in the cinematic experience. While it is nerve-wracking to share this role with renowned actors and directors from around the world, I want to cherish this once-in-a-lifetime experience and keep it etched in my heart.
 
Comment from Chiara MASTROIANNI
I am very happy and honored to be invited to participate in the Tokyo International Film Festival this year and to share this valuable experience with a jury of such inspiring artists. I am grateful to the festival for its invitation and trust, and I look forward to discovering the selected films and experiencing them in Tokyo. I feel truly fortunate to be able to spend ten days immersed in cinema with this team in the wonderful city of Tokyo.
 
Comment from Johnnie TO
It is a great privilege to serve as a jury member for the Tokyo International Film Festival. Japanese cinema beautifully captures the essence of Japanese culture, a culture I greatly admire. As a filmmaker, I am inherently drawn to the world of cinema, and I hold a deep appreciation for the artistry involved. I am eager to partake in a rewarding experience during my time in Japan, fulfilling my responsibilities as a jury member, immersing myself in outstanding films, and embracing the richness of Japanese culture. I am looking forward to collaborating with my esteemed colleagues on the jury panel and aspire to utilize this opportunity to foster meaningful exchanges within the realm of filmmaking culture.
 

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Profiles
ENYEDI Ildikó
Enyedi Ildikó, multiple award winner and Oscar-nominated film director, started her career as a concept and media artist. She was a member of the art group Indigo and the Balázs Béla Studio, the only independent film studio in Eastern Europe before 1989. She later turned to feature film directing and scriptwriting, and wrote and directed six features and several shorts. With these works, she has won more than 50 international prizes. Her directorial debut, My 20th Century (1989), was chosen as one of the 12 Best Hungarian Films of All Time and selected among the 10 best films of the year by The New York Times. In addition to prizes awarded to her as a filmmaker, she has also received recognition as a scriptwriter (as winner of the Grand Prize of the Hartley Merrill International Screenwriting Prize). She lectures at European masterclasses (Switzerland, Poland) and was a lecturer of film directing at the University of Film and Theatrical Arts in Budapest. After the university was deprived of its academic autonomy, she became a founding member of the FreeSzFE, an independent creative hub, an association for learning and teaching. She has been a member of the main juries at the Berlin, Venice, Moscow and San Sebastian Film Festivals (among others). She was awarded the Béla Balázs Award and the Merited Artist Prizes, and has received the Republic President’s Order of Merit Cross. She is a member of the European and the American Film Academy. A mother of two, she lives in Budapest.
 
HASHIMOTO Ai
Born in Kumamoto prefecture in 1996, Hashimoto Ai first gained major attention with Nakashima Tetsuya’s Confessions (2010). She was awarded the Kinema Junpo Best New Actress Award and the Japan Academy Film Prize Newcomer of the Year for her performance in Yoshida Daihachi’s The Kirishima Thing (2012). In 2013, she appeared in the NHK television series “Amachan,” gaining recognition across a wide range of age groups. In 2015, she participated for the first time in the Berlin International Film Festival with Mori Junichi’s Little Forest: Summer & Autumn (2014) and Matsui Daigo’s Wonderful World End (2015), in both of which she had starring roles. Hashimoto’s career spans a variety of fields beyond film, including television series, animation, and theater. Her latest works include Happiness (2024) directed by Shinohara Tetsuo and Announcer-tachi no Senso (2024) by Ichiki Masae.
 
Chiara MASTROIANNI
Chiara Mastroianni made her film debut with My Favorite Season, directed by André Téchiné in 1993. Over the years, she has worked with filmmakers such as Xavier Beauvois, Arnaud Desplechin, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Marjane Satrapi, Claire Denis, Benoît Jacquot, Alice Winocour and international directors like Robert Altman, Manoel de Oliveira, Raoul Ruiz, Gregg Araki, Mike Figgis, Francesca Comencini, among others. In 2007, Mastroianni first worked with Christophe Honoré in Love Songs, and from 2008 through 2019, she acted under his direction six more times. Honoré’s On a Magical Night (2019) earned her the Best Performance Award in the Un Certain Regard section at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in 2019. In theater, “Le Ciel de Nantes” continues their long collaboration but also marks a new venture as it is her first appearance on stage. She was recently seen in Scott Frank’s TV series “Mr. Spade” (2024) with Clive Owen, as well as in the film Eureka (2023), directed by Lisandro Alonso. Her latest collaboration with Christophe Honoré, Marcello Mio, was presented in the official competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in 2024, and she will soon be seen in Langue Étrangère by Claire Burger.
 
Johnnie TO
One of Asia’s leading filmmakers, Johnnie To Kei-Fung is a Hong Kong-based director who has been highly acclaimed worldwide. He started his career with the Television Broadcast Ltd. (TVB) in 1974 and became a producer and director in the company’s drama division in 1977. He made his directorial debut with The Enigmatic Case in 1980, and in 1996 created the production company Milkyway Image, where he directed and produced a series of daring and innovative films. Internationally, he is best known for his action and crime movies, such as The Mission (1999) and Vengeance (2009), which have earned cult followings and critical respect. To has already directed 54 features and produced 70 more, which have secured him numerous nominations and countless awards in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US. They include three Best Director awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards for The Mission, PTU (2003) and Election (2005), and three Best Director awards at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards for The Mission, Breaking News (2004), Life Without Principle (2011). To has also been awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Locarno International Film Festival, Udine Far East Festival, and Sitges Film Festival in recognition of his contributions to film arts. He has served on juries at such major film festivals as Cannes (2011), Venice (2008), and Berlin (2023). To has also devoted tremendous efforts to grooming local talent. Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2022, as director and producer) and Mad Fate (2023, as producer) are his most recent works.