The Japan Foundation will present the “Conversation Series at Asia Lounge”, as part of the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). This year’s Conversation Series, following the 2020 series, will be advised by a committee led by filmmaker KORE-EDA Hirokazu. (*See for list of committee members.) Directors and actors from various countries and regions in Asia and beyond will gather at the Asia Lounge to engage in discussion with their Japanese counterparts. We hope the event will be as vibrant as last year’s, which had over 12,000 viewers and received many questions during the live sessions.
Co-presented by The Japan Foundation Asia Center
 
This year’s theme will be “Crossing Borders”. Guests will share their thoughts and sentiments about film and filmmaking and discuss what it takes to transcend borders The organizers will invite as many international guests as possible to Japan so that they can engage in face-to-face conversations at the Asia Lounge. The sessions will be broadcast live from the festival venue in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya every day for 8 days. Stay tuned!
 
*Committee members (in alphabetical order):
ARAKI Keiko (Festival Director, Pia Film Festival)
FUKUMA Miyuki (Producer, BUNBUKU Inc.)
ICHIYAMA Shozo (Programming Director, Tokyo International Film Festival)
ISHIZAKA Kenji (Senior Programmer, Tokyo International Film Festival / Professor, Japan Institute of the Moving Image)
KORE-EDA Hirokazu (Filmmaker)
TSUCHIDA Tamaki (Program Coordinator, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival / Assistant Professor, Waseda University)
 
Guests:
■Brillante Ma MENDOZA and NAGASE Masatoshi
■Kamila ANDINI and SODE Yukiko
■Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL and NISHIJIMA Hidetoshi
■Bahman GHOBADI and HASHIMOTO Ai
■Isabelle HUPPERT and HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke
The above and other talk sessions are currently planned. Further details, including the full lineup and instructions on how to sign up for the sessions, will be announced in mid-October.
 
The organizers of this event are committed to taking preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19 and to secure the safety of the participants.