Tokyo International Film Festival ‘s programming director Ichiyama Shozo has been curating films since the 1990s, navigating the seismic shift from 35mm to digital while maintaining his core philosophy remains unchanged.

“Cinematic expression has hardly changed at all just because it has become digital,” Ichiyama tells Variety . “Therefore, I believe that fundamentally nothing has changed in my programming either.”

He references a 2000 Cannes talk event on digital’s impact, noting that while certain French directors voiced concerns, filmmaker Kurosawa Kiyoshi stated his approach remained consistent regardless of format.

For TIFF 2025, Ichiyama describes the Competition selection as his boldest programming move. “I believe it has resulted in a challenging selection that blends vario

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