Greetings on the Occasion of
the 25th Tokyo International Film Festival
Tom Yoda, Chairman of TIFF
 

 
I assumed my post as chairman of the festival at the 21st TIFF and am pleased that my fifth year will be the momentous 25th edition, although at times I ask myself if the festival has really become closer to my ideal. However, some TIFF award-winners have gone on to achieve great success, such as the 24th Grand Prix winner Untouchable which became a massive hit in its home country France, as well as elsewhere in Europe and Korea. It proved the keenness of the jury’s eye, and also brought TIFF international recognition. I always think “a chance can be found in a pinch.”The biggest problem TIFF was facing when I became chairman was its international relevance. In other words, neither the domestic and global film industries’ perceptions of TIFF were what we had hoped. To ride out this “pinch,” I decided to provide more topicality. “We make films, but the Earth made us.” – This was the 21st TIFF’s slogan. When I contemplated the issue of environmental sustainability, I hit upon terms such as “green,” “hybrid” and “global,” which crystallized in the idea of the Green Carpet. My aim was to bring TIFF to the world’s attention first by asserting our uniqueness as symbolized by our Green Carpet, and then pursue the aim of becoming a high-quality influential film festival.
 
Principles are a must. This is true in business or any other activity. The basic principle of a film festival is to gather high-quality films, which connect many people and businesses to each other. We have strived to go further, be more innovative, and pursue new ideas. As Japan is part of Asia, I believe that both film festivals and businesses must interact with Asian countries and regions. It would be wonderful if our interaction led to improvements in the quality of Asian film culture and contents. I also feel that it is necessary for Japanese filmmakers and distributors to create even more excellent films and to release them to the world’s markets.
 
Increasing the movie-going population has been a major issue for the Japanese film industry. TIFF must also tackle this seriously, and we will endeavor to select not only commercial films but also unique independent works in order to contribute to the cultivation of film culture in Japan. The power of these films will elevate the Japanese film and culture industries. This is TIFF’s ideal.