The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is thrilled to announce that actor and producer Cate Blanchett, will attend the festival’s 39th edition to celebrate the Japan premieres of five short films supported by the Displacement Film Fund (DFF), of which Uniqlo is a founding partner. The screenings will take place in the same week that Blanchett is to be honoured in Tokyo with the prestigious Praemium Imperiale Award for her achievements in film and theatre. TIFF’s 39th edition runs from October 26 to November 4, 2026.
 
Co-founded and led by Blanchett, DFF was established to champion and fund the work of displaced filmmakers, or filmmakers with a proven track record in creating authentic stories focused on the experiences of displaced people. Together with the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)’s Hubert Bals Fund, she announced the pilot short film funding scheme at IFFR 2025.
 
As previously announced, TIFF will screen the five works comprising the first selection in alignment with the DFF’s mission to highlight underrepresented voices through the power of cinema. Following the film screenings, there will be a Q&A session with director Mohammad Rasoulof (Photo, lower right / Sense of Water), director Shahrbanoo Sadat (Photo, upper right / Super Afghan Gym) and Blanchett. We believe the conversation will foster deeper understanding and awareness of refugee issues.
 
Comments from Cate Blanchett
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.
 
Displacement Film Fund Screenings
Date & Time: 11:10AM Friday, October 30, 2026
Venue: Hulic Hall Tokyo
*A Q&A session follows the screening
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Date & Time: 5:00PM Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Venue: Hulic Hall Tokyo
 

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5 Short Films Supported by the Displacement Film Fund
 
Allies in Exile (40 min, United Kingdom/Syria)
Dir: Hasan Kattan

Two Syrian filmmakers with a past shaped by war document the trauma of waiting for asylum, using friendship and storytelling to survive exile.
 

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Rotation (12 min, Ukraine/Turkey)
Dir: Maryna Er Gorbach

“Rotation” is a therapeutic hypnosis ritual experienced by a young Ukrainian woman who shifted from civilian life to military service.
 

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Sense of Water (39 min, Iran/Germany)
Dir: Mohammad Rasoulof

In the chill of exile, an Iranian writer confronts a foreign language.
 

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Super Afghan Gym (14 min, Germany)
Dir: Shahrbanoo Sadat

In a gym in downtown Kabul, a group of housewives gathers during the only hour of the day reserved for women.
 

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Whispers of a Burning Scent (28 min, Somalia/Austria/Germany)
Dir: Mo Harawe

A quiet wedding musician finds his private life exposed to public scrutiny.
 

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The Displacement Film Fund champions and funds the work of displaced filmmakers, or filmmakers with a proven track record in creating authentic storytelling on the experiences of displaced people. The fund was announced in January 2025 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) by Cate Blanchett, actor, producer and UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador, together with IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund. It was founded in partnership with Amahoro Coalition, Master Mind, the Tamer Family Foundation, UNIQLO and Dutch cultural foundation Droom en Daad. The Hubert Bals Fund serves as the managing partner, and UNHCR as the strategic partner. With the addition of The SP Lohia Foundation as a new major partner, the fund confirmed its second edition at IFFR 2026.
iffr.com/en/hubert-bals-fund/funding-schemes/displacement-film-fund
 
Cate Blanchett Profile
Throughout her career, Cate Blanchett has collaborated with an extraordinary roster of film directors including Wes Anderson, Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, Alfonso Cuarón, Todd Field, David Fincher, Jim Jarmusch, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Todd Haynes, Peter Jackson, Shekhar Kapur, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, Guillermo del Toro and Steven Spielberg. She has recently wrapped production on Alice Birch’s Sweetsick and is currently in development with Janicza Bravo for a film about Martha Stewart. Numerous awards include two Academy Awards, four BAFTAs, four Golden Globes and three SAG Awards. A former Cannes, Camerimage and Venice Film Festival jury president, Blanchett has received numerous international honors, including two Volpi Cups, a BFI Fellowship, Honorary César, Donostia and Goya Awards.
 
Blanchett is co-founder of Dirty Films with Andrew Upton and Coco Francini. She created the Displacement Film Fund for refugee filmmakers and authentic stories of displacement, and co-leads Proof of Concept, supporting filmmakers amplifying women, trans and non-binary voices. Blanchett co-founded RSL Media’s Human Consent Registry, advocating for individuals to have control over the use of identity and creative works by AI. She is also a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, a member of The Earthshot Prize Council, and supports numerous environmental, arts and humanitarian organizations. Her latest film, Father Mother Sister Brother (2025), winner of the Golden Lion at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, is set to be released in Japanese theaters on November 20.