Shrek The Third director Raman Hui, Elvis producer Schuyler Weiss and top execs from leading Japanese broadcasters Nippon TV and TBS are among the speakers set for the seminar program at this year’s TIFFCOM contents market in Tokyo.
Taking place during Tokyo International Film Festival, the market will cover a wide range of topics including the global expansion of Japanese animation, international co-productions, global strategies of Japanese studios and broadcasters, as well as developments in the content industries across China, Korea, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Hui will speak on a panel entitled ‘Animating Asia: Creative Strategies for IP, Storytelling and Global Reach’, alongside fellow Hong Kong animation professionals – Polly Yeung, who produced Annecy selection Another World, and Samuel Choy, producer of Hong Kong’s McDull animation franchise and The Excreman.
A separate panel will provide a deep dive into the global expansion of Japanese animation, presenting the latest edition of the Association of Japanese Animations’ annual Anime Industry Report.
Nippon TV and TBS will both present sessions on their global expansion strategies with insights from top executives including NTV’s Senior Executive Operating Officer, Keiichi Sawa, and TBS Television President, Masamine Ryuho, as well as division heads based in Japan and overseas.
Three TIFFCOM sessions will focus on international co-productions: Broadcast Program Export Association of Japan (BEAJ) will be looking at the latest trends in international co-production for Japanese broadcasters, including Wowow, Asahi Television and NHK; Japan’s Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO) and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) will explore co-production between Japan and Korea; and Tokyo Contents Incubation Center (TCIC) will lead a session with speakers including Choi Yoon-hee, CEO of Parasite producer Barunsun E&A, and Japanese producer Kawai Shinya (Swallowtail Butterfly).
The Masterclass Seminar and Pitching Contest 2025, jointly organised by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), Digital Hollywood University (DHU) and TIFFCOM, will feature a masterclass with Schuyler Weiss, who produced Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-nominated feature Elvis. The event also includes a pitching competition for projects from five Japanese filmmakers.
Other highlights of the seminar program include ‘Thai BL & GL’s Magic : A Global Chemistry’, featuring leading producers in the Boys Love and Girls Love genres; ‘China’s High-Quality Film and Television Content Promotion Conference’, organised by Huace Film & TV; and ‘Current Trends in Turkish Remake Market and the Potential of Japanese Series’, with speakers from Turkey’s HECE Medya and Japan’s TBS and Yomiuri TV.
TIFFCOM is running October 29-31 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho-Kan. Tokyo International Film Festival is taking place October 27-November 5 across multiple venues in the Ginza and Hibiya districts of Tokyo.