TIFFCOM, the content marketplace affiliated with the Tokyo International Film Festival, closed its doors on Friday, but not before revealing the winners of its 2024 pitching competition.
Now in its seventh year, the MPA/DHU/TIFFCOM Masterclass and Pitching Contest are jointly hosted by the Motion Picture Association, Digital Hollywood University and TIFFCOM to support young filmmakers looking to take their first steps in the international film industry.
After the first session on Friday, the master class seminar, the pitching competition saw five young directors selected from a public call and two participants from the KAFA-TUA Collaboration Film Development Workshop 2024, a joint project development workshop for universities of Art in Japan and Korea, organized by the Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs.
The MPA first prize went to Shion Koreeda for Inner AIwith the Japanese director receiving a study trip to the Global Film & Television Immersion Program to be held in November 2025 in Los Angeles. By Kazuya Murayama The right place won the Special Recognition Award and the young director received an invitation to attend the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia. The final prize, the Special Jury Prize, went to Shun Tsujii for 2 years and 2 months. Tsujii had the opportunity to present at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.
Sitting on the jury of the competition were Tokyo Vice producer Alex Boden, Roosevelt's game screenwriter Nobuko Nishii, Ichiko director Akihiro Toda, Yet you are so sweet director Takehiko Shinjo and Venice Production Bridge head Pascal Diot.