| 34th Tokyo International Film Festival | |
| Opening: | Cry Macho |
| Closing: | Dear Evan Hansen |
| Location: | Tokyo, Japan |
| Founded: | 1985 |
| Awards: | Tokyo Grand Prix: Vera Dreams of the Sea |
| Date: | 30 October–8 November 2021 |
| Main: | Tokyo International Film Festival |
| Previous: | 32nd 33rd (cancelled) |
| Next: | 35th |
The 34th Tokyo International Film Festival was a film festival that took place from 30 October to 8 November 2021. This was the first iteration of the festival in two years, as the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival due to be held in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[1] French actress Isabelle Huppert served as jury president.[2] With Vera Dreams of the Sea winning the Tokyo Grand Prix, the festival's top prize, Kaltrina Krasniqi became the third female director to achieve the prize, after Caroline Link in 1997 and Lorraine Lévy in 2012.[3]
The official poster for the festival was created by fashion designer Koshino Junko and is intended to represent the theme of "crossing borders" created by the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic disparities, and international conflict.[4]
The festival opened with Cry Macho directed by Clint Eastwood[5] and closed with Dear Evan Hansen directed by Stephen Chbosky.[6]
The following 7 venues were hosted the festival screenings.[7]
The following films were selected to compete for the Tokyo Grand Prix.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arisaka | Mikhail Red | Philippines | ||
| Californie | Alessandro Cassigoli, Casey Kauffman | Italy | ||
| Crane Lantern | Durna Çırağı | Hilal Baydarov | Azerbaijan | |
| Hommage | 오마주 | Shin Su-won | South Korea | |
| Just Remembering | ちょっと思い出しただけ | Daigo Matsui | Japan | |
| La civil | Teodora Mihai | Belgium, Romania, Mexico | ||
| One and Four | 一个和四个 | Jigme Trinley | China | |
| Payback | Resbak | Brillante Mendoza | Philippines | |
| Poet | Ақын | Darezhan Omirbaev | Kazakhstan | |
| The Daughter | La hija | Manuel Martín Cuenca | Spain | |
| The Dawning of the Day | Alborada | Asoka Handagama | Sri Lanka | |
| The Four Walls | Dört Duvar | Bahman Ghobadi | Turkey | |
| The Other Tom | El otro Tom | Rodrigo Plá, Laura Santullo | Mexico, United States | |
| Third Time Lucky | 三度目の、正直 | Tadashi Nohara | Japan | |
| Vera Dreams of the Sea | Vera andrron detin | Kaltrina Krasniqi | Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania | |
The following films were selected for the Asian Future section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Girl | 美國女孩 | Fiona Roan Feng-i | Taiwan | |
| Asu | Sanjeewa Pushpakumara | Sri Lanka | ||
| Somebody's Flowers | 誰かの花 | Yusuke Okuda | Japan | |
| The Brittle Thread | Jhini Bini Chadariya | Ritesh Sharma | India | |
| The Brokers | Daniel R. Palacio | Philippines | ||
| The Coffin Painter | 异乡来客 | Da Fei | China | |
| The Last Birds of Passage | Turna Misali | Iffet Eren Danisman Boz | Turkey | |
| The Nighthawk's First Love | よだかの片想い | Yuka Yasukawa | Japan | |
| When Pomegranates Howl | Vaght-e Chigh-e Anar | Granaz Moussavi | Afghanistan, Australia, Netherlands, Iran | |
| World, Northern Hemisphere | Jahan, Nimkoreh-e Shomali | Hossein Tehrani | Iran | |
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Gala Selection.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Churuli | ചുരുളി | Lijo Jose Pellissery | India | |
| Cry Macho | Clint Eastwood | United States | ||
| Dear Evan Hansen | Stephen Chbosky | United States | ||
| Gensan Punch | Brillante Mendoza | Philippines, Japan | ||
| Last Night in Soho | Edgar Wright | United Kingdom | ||
| Limbo | 智齒 | Soi Cheang | Hong Kong | |
| Memoria | Apichatpong Weerasethakul | Colombia, Thailand, France, Germany, Mexico, Qatar | ||
| Raging Fire | 怒火 | Benny Chan | Hong Kong, China | |
| The Eyes of Tammy Faye | Michael Showalter | United States | ||
| The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun | Wes Anderson | United States | ||
| The Hand of God | È stata la mano di Dio | Paolo Sorrentino | Italy | |
| The Power of the Dog | Jane Campion | New Zealand, Australia | ||
The following films were selected for the World Focus section, which focuses on international films.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il buco | Michelangelo Frammartino | Italy, France, Germany | ||
| Libertad | Clara Roquet | Spain, Belgium | ||
| Murina | Croatia, Brazil, United States, Slovenia | |||
| Swan Song | Todd Stephens | United States | ||
| Terrorizers | 青春弒戀 | Ho Wi-ding | Taiwan | |
| The Box | La caja | Lorenzo Vigas | United States, Mexico | |
| Veneciafrenia | Álex de la Iglesia | Spain | ||
| Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash | Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas | Edwin | Indonesia, Singapore, Germany | |
The following films were selected for Nippon Cinema Now, which aims to introduce Japanese films to international audiences.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | ブルー | Keisuke Yoshida | Japan | |
| Himeanole | ヒメアノ～ル | Keisuke Yoshida | Japan | |
| Intimate Stranger | 親密な他人 | Mayu Nakamura | Japan | |
| Intolerance | 空白 | Keisuke Yoshida | Japan | |
| Moonlight Shadow | ムーンライト・シャドウ | Edmund Yeo | Japan | |
| Nagisa | なぎさ | Takeshi Kogahara | Japan | |
| Riverside Mukolitta | 川っぺりムコリッタ | Naoko Ogigami | Japan | |
| Spaghetti Code Love | スパゲティコード・ラブ | Takeshi Maruyama | Japan | |
| The Unnamable Dance | 名付けようのない踊り | Isshin Inudo | Japan | |
| What She Likes... | 彼女が好きなものは | Shogo Kusano | Japan |
The following films were selected for the Japanese Animation section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chie the Brat: Downtown Story | じゃりン子チエ | Isao Takahata | Japan | |
| Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko | 漁港の肉子ちゃん | Ayumu Watanabe | Japan | |
| Goodbye, Don Glees! | グッバイ、ドン・グリーズ! | Atsuko Ishizuka | Japan | |
| Hula Fulla Dance | フラ・フラダンス | Seiji Mizushima | Japan | |
| Hyohyo: Dear Mr. Yasuo Otsuka | 飄々 ～拝啓、大塚康生様～ | Hidenori Ushiro | Japan | |
| Inu-Oh | 犬王 | Masaaki Yuasa | Japan | |
| Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate | 仮面ライダーW（ダブル） FOREVER AtoZ／運命のガイアメモリ | Koichi Sakamoto | Japan | |
| Kamen Rider vs. Shocker | 仮面ライダー対ショッカー | Minoru Yamada | Japan | |
| Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell | 仮面ライダー対じごく大使 | Minoru Yamada | Japan | |
| Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants | 仮面ライダーV3対デストロン怪人 | Minoru Yamada | Japan | |
| Kamen Rider Black: Hurry to Onigashima | 仮面ライダーBLACK 鬼ヶ島へ急行せよ | Michio Konishi | Japan | |
| 劇場版 仮面ライダーディケイド オールライダー対大ショッカー | Osamu Kaneda | Japan | ||
| The Little Prince and The Eight-Headed Dragon | わんぱく王子の大蛇退治 | Yūgo Serikawa | Japan |
The following films were selected for the Japanese Classics section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forever a Woman | 乳房よ永遠なれ | Kinuyo Tanaka | Japan | |
| Love Under the Crucifix | お吟さま | Kinuyo Tanaka | Japan | |
| The Family Game | 家族ゲーム | Yoshimitsu Morita | Japan | |
| The Moon Has Risen | 月は上りぬ | Kinuyo Tanaka | Japan | |
| The Wandering Princess | 流転の王妃 | Kinuyo Tanaka | Japan |
The following films were selected for the Youth section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cow | Andrea Arnold | United Kingdom | ||
| Cryptozoo | Dash Shaw | United States | ||
| Our Eternal Summer | L'été l'éternité | Émilie Aussel | France | |
The following television series were selected for the TIFF Series section.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folklore (episodes 8 and 12) | Seiko Matsuda, Nicole Midori Woodford | Japan, Singapore | ||
| Fragrance of the First Flower | 第一次遇見花香的那刻 | Angel I-han Teng | Taiwan | |