Tokyo Gap Financing Market Unveils 24 Projects & Partnership With Canada’s Frontières

Tokyo Gap Financing Market (TGFM), which is being held during this year’s TIFFCOM contents market in Tokyo (October 28-30), has announced a line-up of 24 projects from Asia, Europe and the Americas for this year’s edition. Projects include five works selected in partnership with Canada’s Frontières Market, the international genre film co-production market organized by the Fantasia International Film Festival. Tania Morissette, Deputy Director of Frontières, said: “Frontières is thrilled to partner with TGFM at TIFFCOM to present our first showcase in Asia. This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to connect our genre filmmaking communities, open new doors for emerging projects, and build meaningful bridges between our markets.” Frontières projects include The Saddest Stories On Earth, from Vietnam’s Diep Nguyen Hoang, who joined last year’s TGFM with Busan-selected title 1982, and a body horror by Brazil’s Gabriela Amaral Almeida, whose previous work was selected for Tokyo International Film Festival competition (see full line-up below). Watch on Deadline Other horror projects in the TGFM line-up outside of the Frontières partnership include The Land Of Jinn, based on a Kyrgyz legend, produced by a team comprising new Indonesian filmmaker Kevin Rahardjo and Indonesian production outfit KawanKawan Media. The line-up also includes Trinity, a thriller from acclaimed Singaporean director Boo Junfeng and producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, and Vincci Cheuk’s Hong Kong-Japan co-production 38.83. Animation projects include an omnibus horror from the production team behind The Violinist, winner of the top prize at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Now in its third year, a cooperation between TGFM and Cinecittà, part of the Italian Ministry of Culture’s Directorate-General for Cinema and Audiovisual Media, brings three projects including Italian-Japanese international co-productions. TGFM is an industry platform presenting feature film projects in the funding stage with opportunities for one-on-one meetings with industry experts to support project development and budget fulfilment. Projects participating in TGFM must have secured at least 60% of their total budget and must include an Asian element. With the cooperation of Imagica Group, the first-ever open pitch event will be held on the afternoon of October 28. A total of 10 projects out of 24, including 5 from the newly-partnered Frontières Showcase, will present their pitches. TGFM is being held October 28-30 during TIFFCOM at the Tokyo Port City Takeshiba Port Studio. Tokyo International Film Festival is running October 26 to November 4 at venues in Ginza. TOKYO GAP FINANCING MARKET 2026: FEATURE FILM – FICTION: 38.83 (Hong Kong, Japan)Dir: Vincci CheukProd Co: The Fool Brackish Zone (Working Title) (Japan)Dir: Yusaku MatsumotoProd Co: Nagoya Broadcasting Network Cher (Thailand)Dir: Songsak MongkothongProd Co: Benetone Films Dig (Japan)Dir: Takafumi SakabeProd Co: Basil Co TBA (Japan)Dir: TBAProd Co: Toei Company The Land Of Jinn (Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan)Dir: Kevin RahardjoProd Co: Kawankawan Media Nature Boy (Brazil)Dir: Matias MarianiProd Co: Primo Filmes Shirjara: Song Of Grandmother (Nepal)Dir: Bikash SubediProd Co: Kingdom Network Trinity (Taiwan, France, Singapore, Poland, Greece, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines)Dir: Junfeng BooProd Co: Peanut Pictures, Filmagic Pictures, Gaïjin Uncle (Taiwan)Dir: Hao-Hsuan YenProd Co: Flash Forward Entertainment Where We Bury The Pigeon (Japan)Dir: Akira YamamotoProd Co: LesPros Entertainment Inc Yellow Chrysanthemum (Brazil, Japan, Germany, France)Dir: André Hayato SaitoProd Co: MyMama Entertainment, Superfilmes Cinematográfica FEATURE FILM – ANIMATION: Back To Tomioka (France, Poland, Belgium, Hungary)Dir: François-Marc BailletProd Co: Foliascope Formiga (Brazil)Dir: Bruno BaskProd Co: Mono Animation Mahora (Japan)Dir: Ayumi MoriyamaProd Co: OLM Inc. Princess Zonof (Japan)Dir: YKBXProd Co: P.I.C.S. FRONTIÈRES SELECTION FEATURE FILM – FICTION: The Saddest Stories On Earth (Vietnam)Dir: Diep Nguyen HoangProd Co: OKIA Hanoi Film Production She, Crocodile (Brazil, Spain)Dir: Gabriela Amaral AlmeidaProd Co: South Vampire And Cop (Kazakhstan)Dir: Adilkhan YerzhanovProd Co: NIET Distribution Wild Zero Overdrive (Japan, Canada)Dir: Tetsuro TakeuchiProd Co: Takegei Company FRONTIÈRES SELECTION FEATURE FILM – ANIMATION: A Banquet For Hungry Ghosts (Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Ireland)Dir: Spencer OoiProd Co: Robot Playground Media ITALIAN SELECTION FEATURE – FICTION: Aeternum (Italy)Dir: Jordan RiverProd Co: Delta Star Pictures The Blue Breaks (Japan, Italy)Dir: Takuya UchiyamaProd Co: Antropica The Sweet Years (Italy, Japan)Dir: Igort (Igor Tuveri)Prod Co: Jean Vigo Italia S.R.L.