The first Tokyo Sukiyaki Theaters, a hybrid film festival designed to screen films in an online theater for the world and in-person in a Japanese movie theater, is now open for submissions on FilmFreeway.
Tokyo Sukiyaki Theaters is a joint project between Cinemago, a Japanese independent film distributor, and todoiF, which streams independent films to an international audience. Leveraging the strengths of both companies, this hybrid film festival is a one of a kind celebration of the fair and equal value of independent films made in countries around the world as a special place where films can be presented simultaneously to a global audience in both online and offline environments.
The festival will select the Best Feature Film and the Best Short Film based on online voting by viewers and a jury selection by the Executive Committee. In addition, the film selected for the Best Artistic Contribution Award will be distributed by Cinemago and released in Tokyo after the festival.
In 2024, the first edition of the festival, the selected films will be screened online at todoiF from November 1 to November 30, and will be screened at the Koenji Theater Bacchus on December 7 (Sat.) and 8 (Sun.).
COMMENTS FROM THE ORGANIZERS
In the 19th century cinema was born. What kind of films do the directors and actors of the 21st century seek to make? How can we, as festival organizers, select and promote films with vitality?
The vision of Tokyo Sukiyaki Theaters (TST) is to build a hybrid film festival. We will open up films to audiences from two directions: a film festival at a live venue in Tokyo and a streaming film festival online.
We believe that a festival, which combines these two dynamic aspects of film at the same time will have the greatest power to raise questions in our current era.
For More Information on Submitting a Film Including Deadlines Click Here
THEATRICAL SCREENING DETAILS
Date and Time
Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8, 2024
Location
Koenji Theater Bacchus
The schedule is subject to change depending on the circumstances of the films to be screened. Please understand in advance.
FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER PROFILE
Mitsunori Demachi
Programmer / Producer
He was born in Tokyo in 1968, graduated from the Japan Academy of Moving Images opened by film director Shohei Imamura in 1989. In 2019, as the head of Cinemago, the film distribution label, he began theatrical releases of Japanese independent films. Over 2024, “In Search of Echo,” “Kick Me,” “Come True,” and “kfc” have been theatrically released in Japan.
Koichi Kawano
Programmer / Online Director
He was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1972, graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Cinema Department in 1998. In addition to working in various types of media productions, he also worked as an agent for film directors and scriptwriters. In addition, he has worked in the translation and streaming business and participated in various archival projects. In 2022, he launched todoiF, which streams Japanese independent films abroad. In 2023, he did the Japanese subtitles translation of “Die Farbe” and in 2024, “Kick Me”.
Reo Takizawa
Programmer / Manager
Born in Tokyo in 2000. He is a student at Kanagawa university, mayoring foreign literature. Since 2020, he has been working as a writer for the movie critic website “Cinemarche. In 2022, his analytical skills in writing were highly praised within the editorial department, and in 2022 he was recommended to be in charge of promoting Japanese films such as “Yuzo the biggest battle in Tokyo” and promoted multiple works. In 2023, he served as a distributor for the Japanese film “Echoes of the Shadows” and the German film “Die Farbe,” and from February 2024 he became the main distributor for the film distribution label Cinemago, including “Hypochondriac,” “Come True,” and “The beast hand.”
Tokyo Sukiyaki Theaters Information
Official website: https://tst.todoifilms.com
Organized by Cinemago, todoiF
(C)2024 Tokyo Sukiyaki Theaters
Tokyo Sukiyaki Theaters will start streaming from Friday, November 1, 2024 and screening in-person event at Koenji Theater Bacchus on December 7 (Sat.) and 8 (Fri.)
