The previous year's TIFF experienced severe constraints due to the pandemic, which led to the cancellation of the Competition section. Therefore, it is with regret that the situation remains difficult this year.

Even so, we have been working to make the festival an attractive event for your enjoyment by relocating the venue from Roppongi to the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Ginza area for the first time in 17 years and asking Ichiyama Shozo to be our new programming director.

Meanwhile, one substantial challenge was strengthening international presence. For instance, we desired to make the festival a place where Japanese and non-Japanese filmmakers worldwide can have intimate and extensive exchanges in the captivating city of Tokyo. However, with continued measures limiting overseas visitors entering the country, it is far from ideal, giving us no choice but to lay the groundwork for the future.

While believing in the incredible power of the art of cinema, we hope to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19 and explore the future of cinema. Hence, we would sincerely appreciate your continued support.