Cate Blanchett will travel to Tokyo for the 39th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival, where five short films backed by the Displacement Film Fund will receive their Japan premieres. Blanchett co-founded the Displacement Film Fund, which supports displaced filmmakers and those with a demonstrated history of telling authentic stories rooted in the experiences of displaced people. The fund was announced at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2025 in partnership with IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund, which serves as managing partner.
UNHCR acts as strategic partner, with additional backing from Amahoro Coalition, Master Mind, the Tamer Family Foundation, Uniqlo – a founding partner – and Droom en Daad, a Dutch cultural foundation. The SP Lohia Foundation came aboard as a major partner when the second edition of the fund was confirmed at IFFR 2026. Blanchett said: “I am privileged to have the opportunity to share the inaugural short films supported through the Displacement Film Fund with audiences at Tokyo International Film Festival.
In a world where conflict and persecution are driving displacement and division, cinematic storytelling has a vital role to play in connecting with the experiences of others. Being displaced shouldn’t mean filmmakers abandon their creativity; in fact their stories may feel even more urgent.” Following the screening, Blanchett will participate in a Q&A alongside two of the five directors whose work is included in the program: Mohammad Rasoulof, whose “Sense of Water” centers on an Iranian writer confronting a foreign language in exile, and Shahrbanoo Sadat, director of “Super Afghan Gym,” which is set in a downtown Kabul gym during the one hour each day reserved for women. The other three films in the selection are “Allies in Exile” (U.K./Syria), directed by Hasan Kattan, which follows two Syrian filmmakers documenting the trauma of waiting for asylum; “Rotation” (Ukraine/Turkey), directed by Maryna Er Gorbach, depicting a therapeutic hypnosis ritual experienced by a young Ukrainian woman who transitioned from civilian life to military service; and “Whispers of a Burning Scent” (Somalia/Austria/Germany), directed by Mo Harawe, in which a quiet wedding musician finds his private life drawn into public view.
Blanchett’s Tokyo visit coincides with a separate honor: she is to receive the Praemium Imperiale Award during the same week. She recently wrapped production on Alice Birch’s “Sweetsick” and is in development with Janicza Bravo on a film about Martha Stewart. Her feature “Father Mother Sister Brother” (2025), which won the Golden Lion at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, is scheduled for Japanese theatrical release on Nov. 20.
The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival is hosted by Unijapan and takes place Oct. 26 to Nov. 4.
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