Tokyo Chair Ando Hiroyasu Champions Asian Cinema, Women’s Empowerment at 2025 Festival – Variety

Report on the Strategic Direction of the 2025 Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF)

Introduction: A Vision Aligned with Global Goals

The 2025 Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), under the leadership of Chair Ando Hiroyasu, is strategically positioning itself as a key platform for cultural exchange and sustainable development. Leveraging a diplomatic background, the festival’s leadership is focusing on initiatives that directly support several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including gender equality, quality education, economic growth, and global partnerships for peace.

Advancing Gender Equality (SDG 5)

A primary focus of the 2025 festival is the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women within the film industry. This commitment is demonstrated through several key actions:

• Programming Spotlight: The opening, centerpiece, and closing film selections all feature female protagonists, placing women’s stories at the forefront of the festival.
• Women’s Empowerment Program: Continuing from the previous year, TIFF will host a dedicated program featuring film screenings and symposiums aimed at advancing gender equality in the cinematic arts.

Fostering Quality Education and Youth Development (SDG 4)

TIFF is expanding its commitment to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers, contributing to quality education and providing opportunities for young talent.

1. Asian Students’ Film Conference: A new initiative has been launched to showcase emerging talent. This conference will feature 15 short films recommended by film schools across Asia.
2. Awards and Recognition: The conference will culminate in the awarding of a Grand Prix and a Special Jury Prize, providing a significant platform for student filmmakers.

Promoting Peace and Cross-Cultural Dialogue (SDG 16)

Drawing on the Chair’s diplomatic experience, the festival emphasizes the role of cinema in fostering mutual understanding and peace in a world marked by division.

• Gateway to Asian Cinema: TIFF aims to be a central hub for discovering Asian films and connecting with filmmakers from the region, promoting dialogue between diverse cultures.
• Global Exchange Hub: The festival leverages Tokyo’s status as a global city for arts, music, and culture to create a valuable space for exchange among international filmmakers.

Supporting Economic Growth and Global Partnerships (SDG 8 & SDG 17)

The festival actively contributes to the economic vitality of the creative industries and fosters international collaboration.

• TIFFCOM Content Market: The festival’s aligned market, TIFFCOM, serves as a platform for film, television, and animation from Japan and Asia, supporting industry growth.
• International Co-Productions: The festival provides robust support for international co-productions, strengthening partnerships and facilitating the global reach of Japanese and Asian cinema.
• Showcasing Japanese Cinema: TIFF is committed to strengthening its role in introducing both completed and in-development Japanese works to international audiences, contributing to the industry’s global expansion.

Conclusion

The 2025 Tokyo International Film Festival, running through November 5, is structured to be more than a film showcase. Its strategic initiatives are deeply integrated with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to create a meaningful impact on gender equality, youth education, cultural understanding, and the economic health of the global film industry. The vision is for attendees to experience compelling cinema while participating in a worthwhile cultural exchange that celebrates dialogue and collaboration.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article highlights the festival’s focus on “Youth development” through the launch of the “Asian Students’ Film Conference.” This initiative, which showcases short films from film schools across Asia and awards prizes, directly relates to providing quality education and skill-building opportunities for young people in the creative industries.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This is a central theme of the article. The festival chair explicitly states that the event emphasizes “gender equality.” This is demonstrated through programming choices, such as having the opening, centerpiece, and closing films all focus on “the way of life for women,” and through specific initiatives like the “Women’s Empowerment program” and symposiums “dedicated to advancing gender equality in the industry.”

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article discusses the festival’s role in bolstering the creative economy. Through its industry arm, TIFFCOM, the festival provides “support for international co-productions” and showcases trends in film, television, and animation. This promotes economic growth, innovation, and entrepreneurship within the cultural sector, contributing to the industry’s expansion and job creation.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The festival is positioned as a platform for fostering peace and mutual understanding. The chair, drawing on his diplomatic experience, emphasizes the importance of “cross-cultural dialogue” and believes that “people can understand each other regardless of different cultures and values.” In a time of “division and conflict,” the festival uses film as a tool for “dialogue and exchange,” promoting the ideals of peaceful and inclusive societies.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article underscores the festival’s role in building global and regional partnerships. It aims to be a “gateway to Asian cinema” and a “place for exchange among filmmakers from all over the world.” Initiatives like supporting “international co-productions” and strengthening its role in introducing Japanese works to “international audiences” are direct examples of fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve sustainable development goals.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Under SDG 4 (Quality Education):
  • Target 4.4: “By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.” The “Asian Students’ Film Conference” is a direct effort to cultivate emerging voices and provide students from Asian film schools with a platform to showcase their skills, gain recognition, and connect with the industry, thereby enhancing their vocational skills for future employment.
• Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):
  • Target 5.5: “Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.” The “Women’s Empowerment program” and symposiums aimed at “advancing gender equality in the industry” directly address this target by promoting women’s participation and roles within the economic and public life of the film industry.
  • Target 5.c: “Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.” The festival’s conscious decision to feature female-centric films in all its marquee slots and to host a dedicated empowerment program represents the adoption of a strong policy to promote gender equality within its sphere of influence.
• Under SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth):
  • Target 8.3: “Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation…” The festival and its market, TIFFCOM, act as a policy and platform to support the creative industries by showcasing new works, facilitating co-productions, and connecting filmmakers with the market, thereby fostering creativity and innovation.
• Under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions):
  • The article aligns with the overall goal of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. While a specific target is not explicitly met, the chair’s vision for the festival as a tool for “dialogue and exchange” to counter “division and conflict” strongly supports the spirit of Target 16.7 (Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making) by creating an inclusive cultural institution.
• Under SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals):
  • Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…” The festival’s function as a hub for “international co-productions” and a “place for exchange among filmmakers from all over the world” is a clear example of a platform that encourages and promotes partnerships between various stakeholders in the global film industry.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For SDG 4 / Target 4.4:
  • Implied Indicator: The number of short films selected for the Asian Students’ Film Conference (the article mentions “15 selected works”).
  • Implied Indicator: The number of participating film schools from across Asia.
• For SDG 5 / Target 5.5 & 5.c:
  • Mentioned Indicator: The proportion of marquee film slots (opening, centerpiece, closing) dedicated to films focused on women. For the 2025 edition, this is 100% (3 out of 3).
  • Mentioned Indicator: The existence of a dedicated “Women’s Empowerment program” and associated symposiums. Progress could be measured by the continuation and expansion of this program in subsequent years.
• For SDG 8 / Target 8.3:
  • Implied Indicator: The number of international co-productions supported or facilitated through TIFF and TIFFCOM.
  • Implied Indicator: The volume of business or number of deals conducted at the TIFFCOM content market.
• For SDG 16:
  • Implied Indicator: The diversity of countries and cultures represented in the festival’s film selection and among its participants, which would measure its success as a place for “cross-cultural dialogue.”
• For SDG 17 / Target 17.17:
  • Implied Indicator: The number of international filmmakers and industry professionals attending the festival.
  • Implied Indicator: The number of countries participating in TIFFCOM and other partnership-focused events.

Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: variety.com