As the international film industry increasingly pivots toward cross-continental collaboration, Tokyo\u2019s premier content market, TIFFCOM, is positioning itself at the heart of this evolution. On October 30, the market will host a high-profile session titled \u201cBuilding Creative Partnerships,\u201d designed to dissect the complex mechanisms of Asia-Europe co-productions. The event coincides with the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) and marks a significant milestone for the industry, as the Japanese accelerator Atmovie Global Track officially formalizes a strategic partnership with the Europe-based workshop Ties That Bind.<\/p>\n
The open panel, which is accessible to any TIFFCOM badge holder, seeks to demystify the collaborative process between producers and directors. By drawing on specific case studies of films that successfully navigated the bridge between Asian and European markets, the panelists will offer a practical look at how creative teams elevate projects to an international standard.<\/p>\n
The caliber of the speakers reflects the gravity of the initiative. Among the featured participants are Eiko Mizuno-Gray, CEO of Tokyo-based Loaded Films, and French producer Christophe Bruncher of Ici et L\u00e0 Productions. The pair share a successful track record, most notably their collaboration on Hayakawa Chie\u2019s Renoir<\/em>, which competed at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.<\/p>\n Mizuno-Gray is a pivotal figure in the Japanese independent film scene. Beyond Renoir<\/em>, her portfolio includes Hayakawa\u2019s acclaimed Plan 75<\/em>, which secured a special mention for the Cam\u00e9ra d\u2019Or at Cannes in 2022 before being selected as Japan\u2019s official entry for the Academy Awards. Her resume also includes the evocative work of director Kurosawa Kiyoshi, specifically To the Ends of the Earth<\/em>. Currently, Mizuno-Gray is deeply involved in the development of a Poland-Japan co-production led by director Ishikawa Kei, as well as a Japan-Philippines project helmed by Hirayanagi Atsuko. In addition to her role as a support producer for the Atmovie Global Track accelerator, she is serving on the Asian Future jury at this year\u2019s Tokyo International Film Festival, further underscoring her influence in shaping regional cinematic trends.<\/p>\n Her co-panelist, Christophe Bruncher, brings a unique perspective as a La F\u00e9mis graduate with fluency in Mandarin. As the head of studies for Ties That Bind, Bruncher has become a vital conduit for European-Asian creative exchange. His recent work highlights the depth of this cross-pollination, including his involvement in Muriel d\u2019Ansembourg\u2019s Berlinale title Truly Naked<\/em> and Kamila Andini\u2019s Toronto selection Four Seasons in Java<\/em>. Both films are currently featured at this year\u2019s Tokyo International Film Festival, providing a tangible example of the global reach that the panel aims to promote.<\/p>\n The discussion will be further enriched by the expertise of Oh Heejung, the Seoul- and Amsterdam-based founder of Seesaw Pictures. With a career marked by screenings at prestigious global festivals\u2014including Sundance, Berlin, Locarno, IDFA, Rotterdam, and Busan\u2014Oh brings a nuanced understanding of how to position Asian stories for diverse, international audiences.<\/p>\n Rounding out the panel is Moriya Takeshi, CEO of Atmovie and the founder of the accelerator program. Moriya\u2019s producing credentials are vast, ranging from the beloved television series Midnight Diner<\/em> to the award-winning Midnight Swan<\/em> by Uchida Eiji, which was honored as Picture of the Year at the 44th Japan Academy Film Prizes. The panel was curated by Sekiguchi Mio, an Atmovie Global Track producer whose own work includes the Uchida Eiji-directed Fiamma<\/em>, ensuring that the session is grounded in the day-to-day realities of modern production.<\/p>\n The \u201cBuilding Creative Partnerships\u201d session is the public-facing component of a more intensive effort to foster international collaboration. In the days leading up to the public event, specifically on October 27 and 28, Oh and Bruncher will lead a closed-door workshop for the fellows of the Atmovie Global Track accelerator. <\/p>\n This workshop is designed to move beyond traditional academic lectures, favoring a hands-on approach where participants engage in group sessions. These sessions will focus on the tangible development of individual projects and honest, high-level discussions regarding long-term career paths. The curriculum is curated by Alessandro Gropplero, who manages the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund and co-founded Ties That Bind. The Ties That Bind initiative, which is organized by the FVG fund in partnership with EAVE and the Udine Far East Film Festival, has long been a cornerstone for producers looking to navigate the complexities of project development, international financing, and cross-border networking.<\/p>\n The Atmovie Global Track program itself serves as a vital bridge for Japanese filmmakers. Its primary objective is to equip local creators with the skills and strategic knowledge necessary to take original projects into the international co-production market. This is achieved through a rigorous regimen of lectures and mentoring sessions provided by both domestic and international industry veterans.<\/p>\n The journey for these fellows is structured around significant international milestones. Selected participants are given the platform to pitch their projects at major industry events, including the Japan Pavilion at Cannes and the Japan Pitch event held during the Busan International Film Festival. <\/p>\n Organizers of the program have identified a recurring challenge for many Japanese creators: the difficulty of building trust across cultural divides and navigating the complexities of communication in a language other than their native tongue. These barriers often impede the ability of talented creators to scale their work globally. By hosting the open panel at TIFFCOM, the program aims to democratize these hard-won lessons, sharing expertise with the wider industry and fostering a more expansive, connected network of Japanese filmmakers who are eager to engage with the global stage.<\/p>\n The initiative is made possible through the support of the Japan Creator Support Fund, established by the Japan Arts Council with funding from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. As the industry gathers in Tokyo, the partnership between Atmovie Global Track and Ties That Bind signals a new chapter in the professionalization of international co-production, promising to turn regional talent into a global force.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the international film industry increasingly pivots toward cross-continental collaboration, Tokyo\u2019s premier content market, TIFFCOM, is positioning itself at the heart of this evolution. On October 30, the market will host a high-profile session titled \u201cBuilding Creative Partnerships,\u201d designed to dissect the complex mechanisms of Asia-Europe co-productions. The event coincides with the Tokyo International Film […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[512],"tags":[2335,5457,5459,514,513,1068,5456,5458,1125,5313,515,2994,4521,1181,1036,5455,2920,1535],"class_list":["post-3284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment-and-culture","tag-asia","tag-atmovie","tag-bind","tag-culture","tag-entertainment","tag-europe","tag-expert","tag-formalizes","tag-global","tag-host","tag-movies","tag-panel","tag-partnership","tag-production","tag-ties","tag-tiffcom","tag-tokyo","tag-track"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A Holistic Approach to Global Filmmaking<\/h3>\n
Bridging the Gap: Mentorship and Strategic Development<\/h3>\n
Empowering the Next Generation of Japanese Creators<\/h3>\n