Grand Prix Winners at the Tokyo International Film Festival
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Harrison Ford in Japan at a special screening of the film Witness. (©1985 TIFF)
The Tokyo International Film Festival was launched in 1985. Japan’s first major film festival is also its only one officially recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. As such, TIFF has collaborated with similar events in Pusan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai since 2014 to establish a framework to promote movies in Asia.
Famous movie critic Yodogawa Nagaharu (third from left) in front of a TIFF monument in Shibuya. (©1985 TIFF)
In the first festival, 519 entries were submitted to the competition from 40 countries and regions. By the time of the thirty-first annual competition in 2018, there were 1,829 entries from 109 countries and regions, as TIFF has grown to become Asia’s largest international film festival. Initially, winners of the Grand Prix award came primarily from Asia, but over the history of the festival most have come from Europe with a total of 19. Asia has won 11 awards, the Americas 5, and the Middle East 3. Countries with the most winning entries are China and France with four entries each, and Israel with three awards. Figures are based on counting all countries in international coproductions.
The first TIFF was hosted in Shibuya, known for its 16 movie theaters. Kurosawa Akira’s film Ran was the opening movie, film critic Yodogawa Nagaharu performed the opening ceremony, and 140 works were screened. Parades and an outdoor stage with daily events ensured a strong local presence.
Originally, TIFF was held every two years, but it became an annual event from the fourth festival in 1991 onwards. From 2003, the competition expanded to Roppongi, Shinjuku, and other areas of Tokyo.
Charlie Chaplin on the side of Shibuya 109 Building advertises the first Tokyo International Film Festival in June 1985. © Jiji
| Year | Grand Prix winners | Country/region |
| 1985 | Taifū kurabu (Typhoon Club) Director: Sōmai Shinji | Japan |
| 1987 | Lao jing (Old Well) Director: Wu Tian-ming | China |
| 1989 | That Summer of White Roses Director: Rajko Grlic | Yugoslavia |
| 1991 | City of Hope Director: John Sayles | United States |
| 1992 | Hayan jeonjaeng (White Badge) Director: Chung Ji-young | South Korea |
| 1993 | Lan fengzheng (The Blue Kite) Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang | China |
| 1994 | Tian guo ni zi (The Day the Sun Turned Cold) Director: Yim Ho | China/Hong Kong |
| 1995 | No Winner | None |
| 1996 | Kolya Director: Jan Svérák | Czech Republic |
| 1997 | Jenseits der Stille (Beyond Silence) Director: Caroline Link | Germany |
| 1997 | Savršeni krug (The Perfect Circle) Director: Ademir Kenović | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| 1998 | Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes) Director: Alejandro Amenábar | Spain |
| 1999 | Hei an zhi guang (Darkness and Light) Director: Chang Tso-chi | Taiwan |
| 2000 | Amores perros (Love’s a Bitch) Director: Alejandro González Inárritu | Mexico |
| 2001 | Parullat (Slogans) Director: Gjergj Xhuvani | Albania |
| 2002 | Knafayim Shvurot (Broken Wings) Director: Nir Bergman | Israel |
| 2003 | Nuan Director: Huo Jianqi | China |
| 2004 | Whisky Director: Juan Pablo Rebella & Pablo Stoll | Uruguay |
| 2005 | Yuki ni negau koto (What the Snow Brings) Director: Negishi Kichitarō | Japan |
| 2006 | OSS 117: Le Caire, nid d'espions (OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies) Director: Michel Hazanavicius | France |
| 2007 | Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (The Band’s Visit) Director: Eran Kolirin | Israel |
| 2008 | Tulpan Director: Sergey Dvortsevoy | Poland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Germany |
| 2009 | Iztochni piesi (Eastern Plays) Director: Kamen Kalev | Bulgaria |
| 2010 | Hadikduk Hapnimi (Intimate Grammar) Director: Nir Bergman | Israel |
| 2011 | Intouchables (The Intouchables) Director: Eric Toledano & Olivier Nakache | France |
| 2012 | Le fils de l'Autre (The Other Son) Director: Lorraine Lévy | France |
| 2013 | Vi är bäst! (We Are the Best!) Director: Lukas Moodysson | Sweden |
| 2014 | Heaven Knows What Director: Joshua Safdie& Benny Safdie | United States, France |
| 2015 | Nise: O Coração da Loucura (Nise: The Heart of Madness) Director: Roberto Berliner | Brazil |
| 2016 | Die Blumen von Gestern (The Bloom of Yesterday) Director: Chris Kraus | Germany, Austria |
| 2017 | Buğday (Grain) Director: Semih Kaplanoğlu | Turkey |
| 2018 | Amanda Director: Mikhaël Hers | France |
Leonardo DiCaprio (left), attending the 10th TIFF for the premier of Titanic. (©1997 TIFF)
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: A movie theater screening Ran by director Kurosawa Akira during the first Tokyo International Film Festival in Shibuya, Tokyo, in June 1985. © Jiji.)