Tokyo Film Festival 2026 Unveils Full Lineup: Godzilla, Verity, Wild Horse Nine and 15 Competition Films Lead the Programme

The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has revealed its full 2026 programme, bringing together major Japanese productions, international cinema, animation, festival favourites and a 15-film international competition. The festival is scheduled to take place from October 26 to November 4, 2026, across venues in Tokyo’s Hibiya, Yurakucho, Marunouchi and Ginza areas.

The newly announced programme gives audiences a combination of high-profile titles and films from filmmakers working across Asia, Europe, North America and other regions. Among the biggest attractions are Godzilla Minus Zero, Behemoth!, Verity, Wild Horse Nine and the Korean zombie film Colony.

Godzilla Minus Zero Takes Center Stage

One of the most prominent titles in the 2026 festival is Godzilla Minus Zero, directed by Takashi Yamazaki. The film has been selected as the festival's centerpiece screening, placing the latest Godzilla project at the heart of this year's programme.

The festival will open with Sukiyaki, directed by Takahisa Zeze, while Colony, directed by South Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, has been chosen as the closing film. The three selections give the festival a strong Japan-Korea presence across its opening, centerpiece and closing events.

The choice of Godzilla as the centerpiece is particularly significant for audiences interested in Japanese popular cinema. Rather than limiting the festival to smaller arthouse productions, TIFF is placing a major Japanese genre property alongside international independent and prestige cinema.

International Films Feature Prominently in Gala Selection

The Gala Selection includes 15 films, with titles from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile and other filmmaking territories.

Among the international highlights is Verity, directed by Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. The psychological mystery thriller is based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel and follows a ghostwriter whose work becomes increasingly difficult to separate from reality.

Another major title is Wild Horse Nine, directed by Martin McDonagh and featuring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi. The film follows two CIA agents sent to Easter Island and has already attracted international attention, including a Best Actor award for Malkovich at Venice, according to TIFF's programme information.

The Gala programme also includes Behemoth!, directed by Tony Gilroy, Fjord from Cristian Mungiu, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma from Jane Schoenbrun and several Japanese productions.

Japanese selections include All the Lovers in the Night, A Bouquet of Light for You, Arrested Memory, Bye Bye Love: Detective Is in the Bar, Sunshine Women's Choir, Diary of a Mad Old Man, Your Story – Kimi No Hanashi and The Tiger and Her Wings The Movie.

15 Films Enter the Main Competition

The International Competition is another major component of the 2026 festival. Fifteen films have been selected, representing filmmakers from different cinematic backgrounds.

The competition includes titles such as The Canary's Lullaby, The Difficult Bride, Double Freedom, Even If Hell Came, Fuxi: Four Tales of Feasting, Heysel 85, The Intertwining, Magic Atlas, Memories of Prison, The Night That Binds Us, Red Before Dawn, Sister Brother Manhole Cover, Trees Are Watching, Two Cigarettes, Three Nights and Until the Day Ends.

The range of countries and filmmaking styles represented in this section highlights TIFF's international focus. The festival has also appointed Australian filmmaker Rolf de Heer as president of the International Competition jury. His filmmaking career spans more than four decades and includes films selected and awarded at major international festivals.

Animation Gets a Strong Showcase

Animation continues to be an important part of the Tokyo festival. The 2026 programme features several animation titles, including Japanese productions as well as international works receiving Japanese premieres.

This gives the festival an opportunity to connect traditional Japanese animation culture with contemporary international animation. For viewers, the animation programme provides another route into the festival beyond live-action cinema.

Kenji Mizoguchi Retrospective Adds Historical Perspective

The 2026 edition will also look back at the work of legendary Japanese filmmaker Kenji Mizoguchi.

The retrospective is being presented to commemorate the 70th anniversary of his death. It includes 13 films across 12 programmes, with particular attention given to works that have undergone recent digital restoration. The screenings will have English subtitles.

Films included in the retrospective include Osaka Elegy, Sisters of Gion, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums, Ugetsu, Sansho the Bailiff, A Story from Chikamatsu and Street of Shame.

The retrospective therefore gives the 2026 festival a historical dimension alongside its focus on newly released cinema.

What the 2026 Lineup Says About Tokyo's Film Festival

The programme shows that TIFF is continuing to combine different sides of cinema rather than concentrating exclusively on one category.

Major commercial and genre-oriented titles sit alongside international competition films, Japanese cinema, animation and restored classics. That structure allows the festival to appeal to both audiences looking for well-known filmmakers and viewers interested in discovering less familiar international works.

This year's official theme, "CONNECTING - Cinema Connects Us to the World Beyond," also reflects the festival's emphasis on bringing filmmakers and audiences from different regions together through cinema.

With the festival running for ten days from October 26 through November 4, Tokyo is set to become a meeting point for Japanese and international filmmaking. For movie lovers, the combination of new releases, competition titles, animation, major gala films and classic cinema makes the 2026 edition one of the year's significant international film events.