A market panel doubles as a pipeline announcement
Tokyo’s TIFFCOM market will host an open session on October 30 called “Building Creative Partnerships,” pairing the Japanese accelerator Atmovie Global Track with the Europe-based workshop Ties That Bind. The session runs alongside the Tokyo International Film Festival, and any TIFFCOM badge holder can attend.
The public event is the visible half of a larger structure: before it, two of the panelists will mentor a closed two-day workshop for the accelerator’s fellows on October 27 and 28.
The names behind the session
Loaded Films CEO Mizuno-Gray Eiko and Ici et Là Productions’ Christophe Bruncher, both producers on Hayakawa Chie’s Cannes competition title “Renoir,” will speak. Mizuno-Gray’s credits include “Plan 75,” which received a Caméra d’Or special mention at Cannes in 2022 and became Japan’s Oscar entry, and Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s “To the Ends of the Earth.” Bruncher, head of studies for Ties That Bind, brings recent co-productions including the Berlinale title “Truly Naked” and the Toronto selection “Four Seasons in Java.”
They are joined by Oh Heejung, founder of Seesaw Pictures, and Moriya Takeshi, the Atmovie CEO whose “Midnight Swan” was named picture of the year at the 44th Japan Academy Film Prizes. Atmovie Global Track producer Sekiguchi Mio curated the panel.
Why this matters for deal flow
Atmovie Global Track prepares Japanese filmmakers to take original projects into the international co-production market through mentoring and festival pitches. Its milestones already include the Japan Pavilion at Cannes in May 2025 and the Japan Pitch event at the Busan International Film Festival.
For buyers, streamers and sales agents, the panel is an early look at projects being shaped for international financing. The organizers say many creators struggle to build trust across cultures and communicate outside their native language, and the open session is designed to share those lessons with the wider industry.
- Closed workshop: October 27–28 for accelerator fellows.
- Open panel: October 30, open to all TIFFCOM badge holders.
- Mentors: Oh Heejung and Christophe Bruncher lead the pre-event workshop.
- Backing: Japan Creator Support Fund, via the Japan Arts Council and Agency for Cultural Affairs.
What to watch
The partnership formalizes a pipeline rather than announcing a slate. The real test will be whether the fellows’ projects convert into announced co-productions at markets like Cannes and Busan over the next cycle.
For media planners and entertainment marketers, co-production is not just a financing footnote. It can lower budgets through local incentives, bring regional market knowledge and create festival visibility that a streaming release can later build on. The Tokyo session is where some of that next pipeline starts being visible.
Source: Variety
