Japan's TIFFCOM 2026 market will host the 7th Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (TGFM) at the end of this month, with 24 live action and animation projects selected from 24 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, South and North America, organisers said at a press event in Tokyo today.

TIFFCOM 2026,affiliated with the annual Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), takes place from 28-30 October.

The TGFM presentations, all of which have secured at least 60% of their total budgets and have an Asian element – include eight projects from Japan as well as five anime projects and a selection of genre films in partnership with Canada's Frontières

The event also features the first open pitch, supported by Imagica Group, where 10 of the 24 projects will present. 

The TGFM details were unveiled on Thursday (1 October) along with the latest market and conference updates and info about the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

Organisers said this year's market involved more technology exhibitors in AI and data analytics. AI is also a strong part of the conference line-up. 

New conference sessions unveiled during the event include the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) supported "Beyond Country of Honour: Building the Next Global Partnerships with Japan". The session builds upon Japan's presence as the country of honour at the Marché du Film in Cannes earlier this year.  

Organisers said the session would reflect on the achievements of the initiative and the experiences of its participants while exploring how the networks and opportunities generated in Cannes can be leveraged to create new business opportunities in the years ahead.

The discussion, moderated by entertainment sociologist and CEO of Re entertainment Atsuo Nakayama, will also examine international expectations for Japanese IP, the prospects for global co-production, evolving market dynamics, and the future direction of international expansion.

Speakers are Takashi Tsuchiya, the director-general of JETRO's digital marketing department; Yasushi Shiina, executive adviser to UNIJAPAN and TIFFCOM CEO; and Alexandra Zakharchenko the head of industry Programs, Marché du Film). 

Naohiro Kaji, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Director, Culture and Creative Industries Division, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group, will deliver closing remarks. 

Another new conference session is "Decoding Japan's Content Landscape Through Data: Streaming, Character IP, Music and Global Expansion", organised by NIQ/GfK Japan. 

The session looks at streaming hits, character IP, and cross-media trends across eight markets (Japan, the U.S., France, Brazil, Mexico, India, South Korea, and Taiwan), promising to reveal how Japanese content succeeds at home and abroad and highlighting new opportunities for the international expansion of Japanese IP.