The Creator Development Program is implemented under the Japan Creator Support Fund, established in FY2023 within the Japan Arts Council through a subsidy from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The program is designed to nurture creative professionals capable of working globally. The program aims to nurture the next generation of emerging creators by providing guidance and mentorship for international development, supporting participation in overseas film festivals, and facilitating networking with international industry partners. In the film category, the development program operates as a part of “Film Frontier”, consisting of three initiatives: 1) the Global Networking Program, 2) the Feature Anime Creators in Progress, and 3) the Residency Program.
Five participants have been selected for the second cohort of the Global Networking Program.
At the announcement event for the program participants held on Sunday, November 2 during the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, directors Nakanishi Mai, who was selected for the first cohort, and Yamashita Tsubomi, who was selected for the Residency Program, took the stage, and briefly reported on their current activities. Following this, a crosstalk session was held featuring Director Ishikawa Kei, a member of the selection committee; Ichiyama Shozo, Film Frontier’s program advisor and a selection committee member; and guest Christian Jeune (Deputy Delegate and Director of the Film Department, Cannes Film Festival), discussing the value of Film Frontier in providing international support for Japanese film production. During the session, Ichiyama announced the five participants selected for the program’s second cohort.
Ichiyama commented, “Once again, the applicants were of an extremely high standard, and the selection process was truly challenging. We chose projects that we believe are highly feasible, and I hope the participants will start working on them as soon as next year.”
Director Ishikawa Kei gave them an enthusiastic message of encouragement: “As a director, I focused not on feasibility but purely on the excellence of the proposals. All of the selected projects are highly original and can only be created by these participants. I believe they will even become my competitors for my next work. I hope they create outstanding films.”
The five selected creators also shared their enthusiasm for participating in the program.
Director Kaneko Yurina stated, “It is invaluable to have support throughout the entire filmmaking process, including fundraising, which can be particularly challenging. Being chosen among many emerging directors who aspire to make numerous films, I hope to make the most of this period and have a fulfilling, focused experience without any wasted time.”
Director Takahashi Sota said, “For about 12 years, I have wanted to make a film in Eastern Europe, specifically in Serbia. I am truly honored that my project has been selected, as this represents a significant step forward.”
Director Fujimoto Akio added, “I am very pleased to receive support for my next project at a time when Lostland is being screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival.”
Producer Yoshihara Hiroyuki commented, “I heard that the selection was based on the originality of the proposals. Although it is difficult for my project to be at the center, I am grateful it was chosen and excited to explore what can be created under the theme of life in Japan.”
Director Kusano Natsuka (via video message) said, “Although I still have limited experience, my next project will require extensive research. I am happy to be able to dedicate more time to preparation than to shooting itself.”
*Since October this year, the program has also begun providing training in English-language pitching, as
well as development and support initiatives aimed at participating in international markets.
・Selected Creators
Yurina KANEKO, Director
Born in Tokyo. Graduated from the College of Image Arts and Sciences, Ritsumeikan University. In 2018, she was selected through an open call for the omnibus film 21st Century Girl, for which she directed the segment projection. Her short film A Plant in the Walking
(2019) was selected for the Pia Film Festival, and later that year, she won the Grand Prix at MOOSIC LAB 2019 with Sleeping Insect.
In 2023, Ishikawa made her commercial feature debut with People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind, which garnered multiple newcomer awards in Japan and was officially selected for the Asian New Talent section at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival. Her work explores non-human themes such as ghosts and stones. In addition to filmmaking, she is also active as a playwright, musician, and writer.
Natsuka KUSANO, Director and Writer
Born in 1985 in Kanagawa, Japan. A filmmaker and screenwriter, she graduated from the Department of Literature, Literature and Creative Writing, Tokai University, and completed the 12th Fiction Course at The Film School of Tokyo. She made her feature directorial debut in 2014 with Spiral Galaxy. Her second feature film, The Kingdom (or About That House) (2018), was screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, among others, and was selected by the British Film Institute (BFI) and The Guardian as one of the best films of the year.
Sota TAKAHAŠI, Director
Born in Yokohama in 1991, he graduated from Sandringham College in Melbourne before entering the Department of Film at Tokyo Zokei University. After graduation, he worked for about five years at an event production company while continuing to make independent films. He later entered the Graduate School of Film and New Media at Tokyo University of the Arts, completing his master’s degree in 2023. In the same year, his independently produced film Kami-iida Stories(2023) was released theatrically, and his graduation film Memory Devices won the Audience Award at the PFF Award 2023. In 2025, he directed Addressee Unknown as part of the ndjc: New Directions in Japanese Cinema. He has a fondness for rakija made from plums.
Akio FUJIMOTO, Director
Born in Osaka in 1988, he studied film production at Visual Arts Osaka College of Art and Design.His feature debut, Passage of Life (2018), which depicts the lives of a Burmese family living in Japan, won the Best Film Award in the Asian Future section and the Special Award from the Japan Foundation Asia Center at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival. In 2021, he released his second feature, Along the Sea (a Japan-Vietnam co-production), which portrays Vietnamese technical interns. The film received multiple awards, including the 3rd PFF Oshima Prize, the gold prize at 2021 Shindo Kaneto Awards, the 13th TAMA Film Award for Best New Director, the New Director Award at the 31st Japan Movie Critics Awards. His latest film about Rohingya refugees, Lost Land, won the Special Jury Prize in the Horizons section at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The film will be released nationwide in spring 2026.
Hiroyuki YOSHIHARA, Producer
Born in Tokyo. After graduating from the Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University, he started his film production career at TBS Sparkle Inc., where he worked on various feature projects. He was involved in films such as Mishima: The Last Debate (GAGA), Threads-Our Tapestry of Love (Toho), and Suicide Forest Village (Toei). He later enrolled in the Graduate School of Film and New Media at Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in film production, and founded Cloud11 Studio Inc. concurrently with his enrollment in the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, at Tokyo University of the Arts. He is currently producing international co-production films, including: The Japan-Korea co-production short film, Route 7, and the Japan-Korea feature film 3mm Love (dir. Jinrung Chun), as well as the Japan-Taiwan-Poland co-production Good Death (dir. Atsushi Funahashi). Route 7 has been selected and awarded at numerous film festivals, including the Audience Award at the Busan International Short Film Festival.
Contact: UNIJAPAN, International Promotion, office@unijapan.org TEL 03-6226-3022