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Tokyo market TIFFCOM has struck its first partnership with Frontières, the genre-focused co-production market run by Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival, adding a wave of horror and thriller titles to the 24
feature projects selected for the seventh Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (TGFM).
The selection draws from 24 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, South America and North America. TGFM connects feature projects that have already secured at least 60% of their total budget with industry experts for one-on-one meetings aimed at closing financing gaps. All participating projects must include an Asian element.
“Frontières is thrilled to partner with TGFM at TIFFCOM to present our first showcase in Asia,” said Tania Morissette, deputy director of Frontières. “This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to connect our genre filmmaking communities, open new doors for emerging projects, and build meaningful bridges between our markets.”
The genre lineup has been enriched by projects from Thailand, Nepal and Brazil, among other territories, including Boo Junfeng’s “Trinity,” a thriller from the Singaporean director and SEAFIC founder-producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, and Kevin Rahardjo’s “The Land of Jinn,” based on a Kyrgyz legend, from the Indonesian filmmaker and production banner KawanKawan Media. The Frontières Showcase itself comprises five projects, including a body horror film from Brazilian director Gabriela Amaral Almeida, whose earlier work screened in the Tokyo International Film Festival competition, and “The Saddest Stories on Earth” from Vietnamese director Diep Nguyen Hoang, who returns for a second consecutive year following last year’s participation with “1982,” a Busan International Film Festival selection.
This year’s edition also adds a new collaboration with Imagica Group for TGFM’s first open pitch event, scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 28. 10 of the 24 projects, including five from the Frontières Showcase, will pitch during the session.
Animation accounts for five projects this year, including an omnibus horror title from the team behind “The Violinist,” this year’s top prizewinner at the Annecy Animation Film Festival. Also on the animation slate is “Back to Tomioka,” adapted from a French graphic novel addressing the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident; a project from OLM animator-turned-director Moriyama Ayumi, a former key animator on the “Pokémon” TV series; and a work from studio P.I.C.S.
TIFFCOM’s cooperation with Italy’s Cinecittà enters its third year since launching in 2024, bringing three projects including Italian-Japanese co-productions. Among them is Uchiyama Takuya’s “The Blue Breaks”; the director’s previous film, “Numb,” screened in the Panorama section of this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
Japan has a hand in producing 12 of the 24 selected projects, eight of them originating locally. Japanese participants include directors Matsumoto Yusaku (“Winny”), Yamamoto Akira (“After the Fever”) and Sakabe Takafumi.
TGFM has built a track record of alumni success at major festivals, with past participants including “The Violinist,” which went on to win the Cristal Award at Annecy this year, and “Filipiñana,” which took the World Cinema Special Jury Award at Sundance. TGFM is organized by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Unijapan.
TGFM will run Oct. 28-30 as part of TIFFCOM’s 2026 edition, affiliated with the Tokyo International Film Festival.
TGFM PROJECTS 2026
Feature Film – Fiction
“38.83,” dir. Vincci Cheuk (Hong Kong, Japan), Thefool
“Brackish Zone” (working title), dir. Matsumoto Yusaku (Japan), Nagoya Broadcasting Network Co., Ltd.
“Cher,” dir. Songsak Mongkothong (Thailand), Benetone Films
“Dig,” dir. Sakabe Takafumi (Japan), basil Co., Ltd.
TBA, dir. TBA (Japan), Toei Company, Ltd.
“The Land of Jinn,” dir. Kevin Rahardjo (Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan), KawanKawan Media
“Nature Boy,” dir. Matias Mariani (Brazil), Primo Filmes
“Shirjara: Song of Grandmother,” dir. Bikash Subedi (Nepal), Kingdom Network
“Trinity,” dir. Boo Junfeng (Taiwan, France, Singapore, Poland, Greece, Japan, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines), Peanut Pictures, Filmagic Pictures, Gaïjin
“Uncle,” dir. Hao-hsuan Yen (Taiwan), Flash Forward Entertainment
“Where We Bury the Pigeon,” dir. Yamamoto Akira (Japan), LesPros Entertainment Inc.
“Yellow Chrysanthemum,” dir. André Hayato Saito (Brazil, Japan, Germany, France), MyMama Entertainment, Superfilmes Cinematográfica
Feature Films – Animation
“Back to Tomioka,” dir. François-Marc Baillet (France, Poland, Belgium, Hungary), Foliascope
“Formiga,” dir. Bruno Bask (Brazil), Mono Animation
“Mahora,” dir. Moriyama Ayumi (Japan), OLM, Inc.
“Princess Zonof,” dir. YKBX (Japan), P.I.C.S.
Frontières Selection – Feature Film – Fiction
“The Saddest Stories on Earth,” dir. Diep Nguyen Hoang (Vietnam), OKIA Hanoi film production
“She, Crocodile,” dir. Gabriela Amaral Almeida (Brazil, Spain), South
“Vampire and Cop,” dir. Adilkhan Yerzhanov (Kazakhstan), NIET Distribution
“Wild Zero Overdrive,” dir. Takeuchi Tetsuro (Japan, Canada), Takegei Company Ltd.
Frontières Selection – Feature Film – Animation
“A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts,” dir. Spencer Ooi (Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Ireland), Robot Playground Media
Italian Selection – Feature Film – Fiction
“Aeternum,” dir. Jordan River (Italy), Delta Star Pictures
“The Blue Breaks,” dir. Uchiyama Takuya (Japan, Italy), AntropicA
“The Sweet Years,” dir. Igort (Igor Tuveri) (Italy, Japan), Jean Vigo Italia S.r.l.
