The Tokyo Italian Film Festival, at its 24^th edition (May 1-6, traveling to Osaka on May 18 and 19), is a major film event dedicated entirely to Italian productions. In time, it has become a crucial outlet towards one of the planet’s most vital markets, thanks to which more than 200 talented directors and actors have brought their films to Tokyo over the past years, at least 40% of the films screened at the Festival have found a Japanese distributor, and over 15,000 moviegoers have attended the screenings. The event was so successful to be extended to the city of Osaka, making it a festival not only for our cinema in Tokyo, but for Japan tout court.

The Festival is organized by Cinecittà, the Italian Cultural Institute of Tokyo, and Asahi Shimbun (a major Japanese publisher) under the patronage of the Italian Embassy in Tokyo and since 2006 under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic. The screenings in Tokyo are held in the large Yurakutcho Asahi Hall (a complex with over 700 seats that is always packed) in Ginza, the city’s throbbing heart. The film selection is curated by Takashi Matsuura, a critic of Asahi Shimbun’s Cultural Promotion Department.

“The Italian Film Festival in Tokyo,” Nicola Maccanico, CEO of Cinecittà, asserts, “is an event that confirms the relevance of Italian cinema on the global market in this golden age for audiovisual productions. The Italian delegation is particularly imposing and varied, with talented directors of different generations and styles who perfectly represent the most specific features of our industry: its versatility and ability to read the changing times.

The 13 films selected, among the most important Italian productions of the last year:

In Tokyo – May 1–6, 2024:
There’s Still Tomorrow (C’è ancora domani) by Paola Cortellesi, Comandante by Edoardo De Angelis, Trust (Confidenza) by Daniele Luchetti, Gloria! by Margherita Vicario, The First Day of My Life (Il primo giorno della mia vita) by Paolo Genovese, Io capitano by Matteo Garrone, The Last Night of Amore (L’ultima notte di Amore) by Andrea De Stefano, The Beautiful Summer (La bella estate) by Laura Luchetti, Lubo by Giorgio Diritti , Nata per te by Fabio Mollo, I Told You So (Te l’avevo detto) by Ginevra Elkann, A World Apart (Un mondo a parte) by Riccardo Milani, Volare by Margherita Buy.

Next to these is a special tribute to the Festival with the screening of a classic movie, Padre padrone by Paolo e Vittorio Taviani.

As always, the delegation of artists traveling with their films is prestigious: Edoardo De Angelis, Andrea Di Stefano, Ginevra Elkann, Paolo Genovese, Daniele Luchetti, Laura Luchetti, Fabio Mollo, Margherita Vicario.

The Italian Film Festival moves on to Osaka on May 18 and 19 with:

There’s Still Tomorrow, Comandante, The First Day of My Life, Io capitano, The Last Night of Amore, Lubo, A World Apart.

Website: www.asahi.com/italia/2024