Japanese film producers are taking an early-stage slate directly to international buyers at the 31st Busan International Film Festival. Atmovie Inc. is staging Japan Pitch on Oct. 11-12, featuring four projects from its Atmovie Global Track accelerator, a program backed by the Japan Creator Support Fund through the Japan Arts Council. The initiative is designed to help Japanese creators move toward international co-production deals.
The pitch-and-meetings format
The two-day event at the Centum Hotel Emerald Hall puts on-stage pitches first, then follows up with one-on-one meetings, a second round of pitches and a networking reception. That structure gives each project both public visibility and private time with producers, buyers and festival professionals.
Four projects in play
- Kinoshita Yusuke — “Children of the Empire.” Kinoshita’s feature “Water Flower” screened at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006, and his segment in the anthology “Ten Years Japan” was executive produced by Kore-eda Hirokazu. The project was also selected for the VIPO Film Lab NY Script Workshop.
- Saito Shiori — “Omusubi.” A first feature documentary from the co-founder of Mimosa LLC, Saito spent close to a decade directing and editing documentary and travel programming in New York.
- Joya Yoshimi — “Almost Goodbye.” Joya’s feature debut follows short-form work including “Colors Under the Streetlights,” an official selection in the Vancouver Film Festival short film competition.
- Arai Soji — “Their Own Sake.” The Tokyo-based producer and actor carries credits on Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” and HBO’s “Tokyo Vice,” and previously brought the project to the 2026 Cannes Film Festival through Atmovie Global Track.
Why this matters for the screen business
Busan has become more than a screening stop; it is one of Asia’s most active project markets for packaging co-productions. Atmovie’s cohort arrives with festival history, streaming credits and some script-lab validation already attached, which can shorten the discovery process for international partners.
Atmovie Inc., led by CEO Moriya Takeshi from its Shibuya base, produces across television, feature film and streaming content. For streaming and network buyers, this is therefore a direct line into a development pipeline, not just a one-off pitch event.
What buyers should watch
The slate is deliberately varied: a Berlinale-recognized director, a first documentary, a debut feature from a filmmaker with international shorts, and a producer-actor with premium streaming credits. That mix lowers one early barrier for buyers—unproven talent—while still leaving the creative and financing package to be judged on the spot.
For development teams, the signal is clear: public creator funding and curated market access are becoming a formal route for Japanese IP to find co-production partners. Busan will show whether these projects can convert attention into real commitments.
Source: Variety
