Tokyo Jury Weighs Festival's A-List Status and Prepares for Friendly Clashes Over Films

The competition jury of the 2026 Tokyo International Film Festival met the press on Tuesday for a polite session that still produced a spirited exchange about the festival's international standing and whether rankings matter at all.

The panel is led by Dutch-Australian filmmaker Rolf de Heer, whose credits include Bad Boy Bubby, Charlie's Country, Ten Canoes and The Tracker. He was joined by French film colorist and producer Yov Moor, South Korean producer Oh Jungwan, Japanese actress Makiko Watanabe and Taiwanese-American producer Alex C. Lo.

Unlike many recent jury press events at major European and American festivals, the Tokyo session stayed largely free of politics. It opened instead with a blunt remark from De Heer on why Australia and Japan produce so few co-productions, even though both governments strongly support film production. "It makes no sense for a Japanese film to shoot in Australia, or it makes no sense for an Australian film to shoot in Japan," he said. He contrasted this with Europe, which handles co-productions on a largely financial basis, and said the ones that work in Australia have a natural story that requires shooting in both countries.

The conversation grew livelier when the jurors were asked about Tokyo's recent inclusion in the "A-list" category of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). De Heer said most festival-goers had long regarded Tokyo as an "A" festival, so the official status makes little practical difference. He allowed that such categories may be gaining importance in terms of the quality of films a festival can attract, and that being officially an "A" again may help on that front.

Oh answered with humor, saying she is not a festival person and does not know what counts as A-list. "Probably A-list means good!" she said, adding that audiences attend to watch films and enjoy the festival atmosphere rather than because of a ranking. Asked whether the tier system had become redundant, De Heer replied: "It matters a great deal to some people, and not at all to others. And that is as it should be."

Lo later said Tokyo's reputation rests on two strengths: world-leading hospitality and an exceptionally attentive, intellectually curious audience that respects original storytelling.

Turning to the contest for the Tokyo Grand Prix, the jury addressed how it would handle disagreements over the 15 competing films. De Heer said the answer depends on how divided the jury is, and expressed confidence that he and his four colleagues could avoid a "lesser compromise film" and instead land on "a really interesting film that maybe some of us don't like." Oh joked that she was ready to fight him over the selection, recalling a past jury where she argued for seven hours and every other member disliked her for it. She said she hoped to avoid a repeat, adding that there are many good films and the group would find a way to compromise.

Moor said he was surprised and delighted to be invited, since colorists are rarely asked to serve on juries. He has lived in Tokyo for almost two years and called the invitation "like a little dream," adding that he hoped it would bring more attention to the work of colorists.

De Heer also gave a brief update on his own plans. Asked about his next film, he said he is between projects and still deciding what to do, describing the festival as "a punctuation point." He acknowledged it was not a satisfying answer, but said it was the one he had.