Cate Blanchett is set to attend the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival, where five short films supported by the Displacement Film Fund will receive their Japanese premieres. Blanchett co-founded the initiative, which provides support to displaced filmmakers and those dedicated to authentic storytelling centered on displacement experiences.
Originally announced at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2025, the fund operates in partnership with IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund. Strategic backing is provided by UNHCR, while additional support comes from the Amahoro Coalition, Master Mind, the Tamer Family Foundation, founding partner Uniqlo, and Dutch cultural foundation Droom en Daad. The SP Lohia Foundation joined as a major partner when the fund’s second edition was confirmed at IFFR 2026.
“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,” Blanchett said. “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 screenings, Blanchett will join a Q&A session with two of the featured directors: Mohammad Rasoulof, whose film “Sense of Water” follows an Iranian writer grappling with exile and a foreign language, and Shahrbanoo Sadat, who directed “Super Afghan Gym,” a story set in a Kabul gym during the hour each day reserved for women. The remaining selections include “Allies in Exile” by Hasan Kattan, exploring the trauma of asylum waiting; “Rotation” by Maryna Er Gorbach, depicting a therapeutic ritual of a Ukrainian woman transitioning to military service; and “Whispers of a Burning Scent” by Mo Harawe, about a Somali wedding musician whose private life becomes public.
The actor’s visit coincides with her receipt of the Praemium Imperiale Award later that week. Blanchett recently completed filming on Alice Birch’s “Sweetsick” and is developing a project with Janicza Bravo about Martha Stewart. Her 2025 feature “Father Mother Sister Brother,” which took home the Golden Lion at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, is scheduled for release in Japanese theaters on November 20.
The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival, hosted by Unijapan, runs from October 26 to November 4.
Will these shorts be screened in Tokyo with subtitles? Really hoping the local audience gets to see them too.
Wait, so Cate is getting an award AND hosting these premieres? What a busy week for her at TIFF.
Love seeing Cate use her platform for such important displaced voices. The fund is doing incredible work.