In a sobering assessment of the current state of independent cinema, Tokyo International Film Festival jury president Carlo Chatrian expressed concern that most of the festival’s competition films lack distribution deals, underscoring the mounting challenges facing arthouse filmmakers worldwide.

“I am not sure, but I believe most of the films selected at the festival don’t have distribution, and maybe they will have through other networks, but this is something that makes me sad,” Chatrian told journalists at Tuesday’s jury press conference. “There are so many strong, beautiful films and except for film festivals, there are very few chances for these films to be seen.”

The former artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival and Berlinale, who is currently director of the National M

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