The festival
Tokyo FILMeX, established in 2000, is a Tokyo film festival with a strong emphasis on Asian art-house and auteur cinema. It has historically championed new and independent directors from across Asia, and its competition centers on discovering emerging filmmaking talent.
Worth knowing
Founded with backing from Office Kitano, the company associated with filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, FILMeX earned a reputation among cinephiles for a carefully curated, director-driven program. It is typically held in late November in central Tokyo.
How to attend
The festival is open to the public with individually ticketed screenings, many followed by filmmaker Q&A sessions. Tickets are sold online and at the venues.
Awards & submissions
Tokyo FILMeX is built around a competition for new and independent features by emerging Asian filmmakers, with an international jury presenting a Grand Prize and a Special Jury Prize — each carrying a cash award — to work often drawn from China, Japan, Korea, Iran and elsewhere across the region. Founded in 2000 with backing associated with filmmaker Takeshi Kitano’s Office Kitano, the festival earned a cinephile reputation for a carefully curated, director-driven programme. It is typically held in late November in central Tokyo, around the Yurakucho and Ginza districts, with individually ticketed screenings many followed by filmmaker Q&A sessions. Tickets are sold online and at the venues, and details of the competition and how filmmakers can submit are published on the festival’s official website each year.
Official site →Dates and programs change year to year — check the official site for the current edition.