Cannes’ Christian Jeune Is ‘Very Optimistic’ About New Generation of Japanese Filmmakers

Christian Jeune, director of the film department at Cannes Film Festival, has hailed the next generation of filmmakers chosen for the Tokyo International Film Festival‘s (TIFF) Nippon Cinema Now strand.

“If I go back to six, seven years, I was a bit desperate to find new voices, and I got the impression that there was nobody really, or maybe young directors had difficulties to finance or even to cross over,” Jeune said. He was speaking at the festival’s TIFF Lounge series of talks. “I must say, for the last three, four years, [I’ve been] very optimistic, because we have seen, not only at Cannes but other festivals, we see this new generation emerging.” Jeune provided the example of Hayakawa Chie and her film “Plan 75” which bowed at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard in 2022.

The talk, moderated by TIFF artistic director Ichiyama Shozo, saw the participation of Tokyo-born Kim Yunsoo, an alumnus of the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts, whose feature debut “Or Utopia” premiered in the strand. Kim previously won the Amazon Prime Video Take One Award for best short at the 34th TIFF in 2021.

Joining Kim was 2023 Amazon Prime Video Take One Award winner, Yang Liping, who graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Directing Course, and whose “Ashes” is showing at the strand; the U.K.’s Oscar and BAFTA-nominated Mark Gill, whose “Ravens,” starring Asano Tadanobu is another highlight of the strand; and Takino Hirohito whose “The Bear Wait” is premiering at Nippon Cinema Now.

“In some countries, of a sudden, there is a generation who has decided to express themselves, to reach a wider audience,” Jeune said. He highlighted the grants available in France and also spoke about the reality of second films being more difficult to fund than the first. “It’s not only in France, it is everywhere,” Jeune said.

Speaking about Japanese films travelling internationally, Jeune said, “Japanese films should be helped much more by the country itself, by the institutions. My feeling is that they should be pushing much more.”

The filmmakers shared their contrasting filmmaking journeys with the audience, recounting both the difficulties and positive experiences during the process.