Atmovie Inc. has announced that its Japan Pitch initiative will make its debut at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, offering a dedicated platform for four filmmakers selected from the Atmovie Global Track accelerator. The program is designed to help Japanese creators secure international co-production deals.
Supported by the Japan Creator Support Fund through the Japan Arts Council, the Global Track program enables fellows to present their original feature projects on stage in Busan and engage in individual meetings with visiting producers, buyers, and festival professionals.
The event is scheduled to take place over two days at the Centum Hotel Emerald Hall. On October 11, the Japan Pitch sessions will occur, followed by one-on-one meetings on October 12. The schedule concludes with a second round of pitches and a networking reception.
Among the featured filmmakers is Kinoshita Yusuke, who will pitch “Children of the Empire.” Born in Tokyo and raised in Australia, Kinoshita gained recognition with his short film “Birdcage,” which was a runner-up for the grand prize and audience award at the 2003 Pia Film Festival. His feature “Water Flower” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006, and his segment in the anthology “Ten Years Japan” was executive produced by Hirokazu Kore-eda. The new project was selected for both the VIPO Film Lab NY Script Workshop and Atmovie Global Track. Kinoshita recently founded Spectra Inc.
Documentarian Saito Shiori is developing her first feature film, “Omusubi.” After spending nearly a decade in New York directing and editing documentary and travel programming, she co-founded Mimosa LLC in 2021. She is also known for her documentary short “Floating in Between.””
Joya Yoshimi will present her feature debut, “Almost Goodbye.” Joya previously worked as a production manager in commercials before moving to Canada for overseas production work. She returned to Japan in 2020 to resume directing and has built a resume of shorts including “Be Happy Anyway,” “Doughnuts Mori,” and “Someday,” with “Colors Under the Streetlights” being an official selection at the Vancouver Film Festival.
Tokyo-based producer and actor Arai Soji is presenting “Their Own Sake.” Arai has acted in films by directors such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takashi Miike, and Guan Hu, and has appeared in international productions including “Pachinko” and “Tokyo Vice.” As a producer, his credits include the Japan-Korea co-produced short “Route 7” and the feature “The Penthouse.” His latest project, “At the River’s Edge,” was selected for the feature competition at the 31st Split Film Festival. Arai previously brought “Their Own Sake” to the 2026 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Global Track.
Atmovie Inc., headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, is led by CEO Takeshi Moriya. The company is involved in the production and oversight of television dramas, feature films, and streaming content.
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