Festival spotlights region’s stories
A Palestinian drama, “Palestine 36,” captured the Tokyo International Film Festival’s highest honor on Wednesday, capping a year in which Asian festivals leaned heavily into conflict, displacement and female-led narratives. The film, directed by a team working partly out of Europe, follows intersecting characters in Jerusalem over a single day marked by military tension and personal choices. Jurors praised its layered storytelling and its ability to make a local story feel universal. The win also signals how major Asian festivals are widening their lens beyond regional film hubs to projects from the Middle East and North Africa.

Implications for regional filmmakers
The festival’s decision is likely to boost the film’s sales prospects and could help it secure streaming distribution, since platforms are continually searching for prestige titles outside Hollywood. It also comes as Japanese organizers push to keep Tokyo competitive with Busan and Venice as a launchpad for award-season hopefuls. For filmmakers from conflict zones, the win is a reminder that international co-production and festival networking remain viable routes to visibility, even when domestic markets are small or unstable. With the festival crowd already primed for powerful stories this year, “Palestine 36” emerged as the film that best matched the moment.