Tokyo Film Festival Reveals Anime Lineup and TIFFCOM Seminar Plans

The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) announced part of this year’s anime lineup on Friday. The festival runs October 26–November 4 in Tokyo’s Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area.

Its Animation Section will feature four films:

• Masanao Kawajiri’s original film Cherry and Virgin, scheduled to open in 2027.
• ghost – end of night (ghost/yoru no hate), a new theatrical anime project from Shingo Natsume and Madhouse, opening in Japan on February 11, 2027.
• Atsushi Nishigori’s original anime film Grotesqqque, formerly titled Grotesque, opening in Japan on November 6.
• We Are Aliens (Ware Ware wa Uchūjin), an anime film from NOTHING NEW and director Kōhei Kadowaki, opening in Japan on September 25.

The Women Directors: Diverse Visions section will screen three anime films:

• Detective Conan: Fist of Blue Sapphire (Meitantei Conan: Konjō no Fist), the franchise’s 23rd anime film.
• Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom, adapted from Nao Iwamoto’s manga Kin no Kuni Mizu no Kuni, with a screening listed for October 21.
• The recent film adaptation of Riyoko Ikeda’s The Rose of Versailles manga.

The accompanying TIFFCOM 2026 industry event will hold three seminars at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho-Kan venue.

“Japanese Animation’s Global Expansion: 2025 Overseas Sales Update and Strategies from Two Studios” will bring together these participants:

• Kazuko Ishikawa, president of both The Association of Japanese Animations and Nippon Animation.
• Megumi Onouchi, president of HumanMedia Inc. and vice chairman of The Association of Japanese Animations’ Human Resources Development Committee.
• Masahiro Hasegawa, editor-in-chief of Anime Industry Report, School of Network and Information, Senshu University.
• Hitomi Hiratsuka, director of international sales and productions at Nippon Animation.
• Yōko Ueda, director of Corporate Administration and IP & Communications at Production I.G.

“Anime Co-Production Conference, Anime’s New Frontier: Structuring & Financing International Co-Productions” will feature:

• Ervin Han, co-founder and CEO of Robot Playground Media.
• Taiki Sakurai, CEO of Salamander Inc.
• Ilan Urroz, CEO of Foliascope.
• Masao Kawano, program manager of Into Global.

“Japan’s IP Frontier 2026: Beyond Broadcasting” will include:

• Tokio Omori, production division producer at TV TOKYO Corporation.
• Seitaro Tonka, CCO of YAMI inc.
• Ryōhei Aoki, live entertainment department manager at Fuji Television.
• Yu Kawanaka, executive manager of the Content Production Department at San-in Chuo Television Broadcasting.
• Kazuki Yokoi, contents sales producer at Chukyo TV.
• Yuki Akutsu, director of the Digital Business Department: Editor-in-chief at Hokkaido Television Broadcasting.
• Ikuo Ichiki, chief executive of business management at the Broadcast Program Export Association of Japan (BEAJ).
• Aki Harazono, executive director at BEAJ.

Detective Conan: Fist of Blue Sapphire debuted in Japan in April 2019. Over its first three days, it sold 1,458,263 tickets and grossed 1,886,292,700 yen, approximately US$16.85 million.

Its earnings reached 9.37 billion yen, approximately US$86.2 million, by the end of 2019. It became the seventh consecutive Detective Conan film to set a new franchise box-office record.

Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom opened in Japan in January 2023. Its first Friday-through-Sunday total reached 85,896,750 yen, approximately US$659,000.

The Rose of Versailles opened in January 2025, earning 108,158,300 yen, approximately US$704,200, during its first three days.