Sony Pictures International Productions is set to showcase its IP adaptation playbook at the Tokyo International Film Festival‘s TIFFCOM content market, with executive VP of creative production and head of SPIP Shebnem Askin leading a deep dive into the studio’s strategy for turning local hits into global franchises.
The session comes as international interest in IP adaptations reaches fever pitch across the content industry. SPIP, which has carved out a distinctive niche producing local-language films across 10 countries, will pull back the curtain on how it strategically develops remake projects and localizes IP across diverse markets.
Askin’s presentation will spotlight SPIP’s track record of cross-cultural adaptations, including the Spanish remake of Argentine IP “Ten Days Without Mom” (“Padre No Hay Más Que Uno”), the Spanish reimagining of Italian property “I Hate Summer,” and multiple adaptations of French IP “Price of Parenting” in Italy, Mexico and Spain. The studio has also produced a Thai remake of “50 First Dates,” a Brazilian version of “Friends with Benefits,” and Italian and Mexican remakes of SPIP’s German production “25 km/h.”
Japanese IP figures prominently in SPIP’s strategy. The division recently produced a Mexican adaptation of “Shall We Dance?” and secured international distribution rights for the Chinese remake of “YOLO,” the comedy-drama from China’s top-grossing female director Jia Ling.
Under Askin’s leadership, SPIP has built a robust theatrical business anchored by three local-language franchises: the “3 Investigators” movies in Germany, “Father is the Only One” in Spain, and the powerhouse “Kingdom” franchise in Japan. Recent releases include Korean thriller “Highjack, 1971,” Taiwanese feature “Dead Talents Society,” Mamoru Hosoda’s “Scarlet,” and the studio’s first Thai production.
Beyond theatrical releases, SPIP has delivered 11 direct-to-streaming movies for Amazon Prime, Netflix and Max in Mexico over the past three years, including Argentine film “The Heart Knows” and Netflix Italy originals “The Price of Family” and its sequel “The Price of Nonna’s Inheritance.”
The newly rebranded Tokyo IP Market: Adaptation & Remake launches its first open pitch session featuring Kadokawa, Kodansha, Shufu to Seikatsu Sha, Square Enix, Toei and Nihonbungeisha. The expanded market now includes visual content production companies alongside publishers holding original rights to Japanese manga and novels. Other highlighted programming includes a keynote from Tetsu Fujimura on the “One Piece” live-action adaptation and Japanese IP, Japanese animation seminars featuring Studio4°C, and the MPA/DHU/TIFFCOM Pitching Contest with “Elvis” producer Schuyler Weiss among the judges. The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market has selected 23 projects for presentation.
TIFFCOM is organized by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Unijapan.
The 22nd edition of TIFFCOM runs Oct. 29-31 at Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho-Kan during the Tokyo International Film Festival. The market aims to foster international co-productions and content business development through seminars, project markets, pitch contests and networking opportunities.
