Why Tokyo International Film Festival Is Putting The Focus On Women’s Empowerment

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“While progress has been made, gender equality in directing, screenwriting and producing is still slow, with women holding only 10-20% of these roles worldwide,” says Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) senior programmer Andrijana Cvetkovikj, when asked why the festival has introduced a Women’s Empowerment Section for the first time this year. “This program is not just about celebrating women’s achievements but about creating an inclusive industry where more women can tell their stories.

There’s still a long way to go, but this is a meaningful step in the right direction.” TIFF, which was the first Asian film festival to sign the Collectif 50/50 charter promoting gender equality in the film industry, is working with Tokyo Metropolitan Government on the new section following their successful collaborations on filmmaking workshops and film education programmes for teens.

The new section will screen seven features programmed by Cvetkovikj; host a special screening of Doctor-X The Movie, a film based on a long-running TV show about a female surgeon; and also present the documentary Women Make Films, about the Tokyo International Women’s Film Festival; along with a ‘Women’s Empowerment Symposium’, organized by Japanese filmmaker and government advisor Kanako Kondo.

Cvetkovikj, a former Macedonian ambassador to Japan, who completed a PhD in cinema at Nihon University, has curated a selection of films from around the world that are directed by female filmmakers and/or explore female-focused narratives. “In choosing the films, I sought those that possessed a narrative strength that could captivate and move audiences, films that break down borders and address universal themes in ways that speak to us all,” Cvetkovikj