The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Kurosawa Akira Award. The award honors the renowned auteur’s legacy and ongoing influence, and is presented to filmmakers who have made waves in cinema and are expected to help guide the industry’s future. The award was revived in 2022 after a 14-year hiatus, with the generous support of Capcom Co., Ltd. Last year’s recipients were notable filmmakers Lee Sang-il and Chloé Zhao.
 
2026 Kurosawa Akira Award
The 2026 Kurosawa Akira Award will go to directors O Mipo and Mohammad Rasoulof. The honorees were selected by a committee comprised of veteran filmmakers Yamada Yoji and Lee Sang-il, acclaimed cinematographer Ashizawa Akiko and TIFF Programming Director Ichiyama Shozo.
 

 
O Mipo
Director O Mipo worked as a script supervisor after a stint at Obayashi Nobuhiko’s production company, before making her feature directorial debut in 2006 with The Sakai’s Happiness. In 2014, her film The Light Shines Only There won Best Director at the Montreal World Film Festival and went on to sweep 60 awards both in Japan and internationally. Following a hiatus for childbirth and childcare, she returned to feature filmmaking in 2024 with box-office draw Living in Two Worlds. Her latest film, How Dare You? has earned high praise at home and abroad for its vivid portrayal of children’s raw vitality.
 
Comments from the selection committee:
Since making her directorial debut in 2006 with The Sakai’s Happiness, director O Mipo has consistently created works that offer a multifaceted perspective on individuals living on the margins of society, refraining from viewing them through a simple lens of good vs. evil. Her directorial approach in capturing children, as they truly are, has earned exceptional praise, particularly in her recent films Being Good, Living in Two Worlds, and How Dare You?. In recognition of her remarkable achievements and with high expectations for her future endeavors, we are proud to present the Kurosawa Akira Award to director O Mipo.
 
Mohammad Rasoulof
Director Mohammad Rasoulof, is an Iranian independent filmmaker, who has faced harsh government censorship, prison sentences, and filmmaking bans, yet has relentlessly pursued his unique method of filmmaking often relying on guerilla-style shooting. His courage continues to inspire creators worldwide. He won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2020 for There Is No Evil, which was presented at the 33rd TIFF, and the Special Jury Prize at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for The Seed of the Sacred Fig in 2024, which was also selected as an Academy Award nominee for Best International Feature Film.
 
Comments from the selection committee:
Director Mohammad Rasoulof has consistently produced profound works centered on the theme of human rights oppression under state regimes. Notably, his recent films There Is No Evil and The Seed of the Sacred Fig have gained international acclaim for their humanist perspective, which portrays even those who perpetrate oppression as ordinary citizens. In recognition of his unwavering commitment to creative expression despite relentless pressure, we take immense pride in presenting director Mohammad Rasoulof with the Kurosawa Akira Award.
 
Comments from Director O Mipo:
To receive such an extraordinary honor on the 20th anniversary of my directorial debut fills me with immense gratitude and deep humility. Winning the Shindo Kaneto Award in 2010 provided me with the vital support to keep making films. Though my progress has been slow, reaching the Kurosawa Akira Award is a stroke of fortune that makes me truly savor what a happy cinematic journey I have had. This recognition is by no means mine alone. My heartfelt thanks go to all the cast and crew members I have met along the way, the audience who stepped into the theaters, and the selection committee—led by director Yamada Yoji—who discovered my films. Finally, my deepest love and thanks go to my sons and husband, who never give up on me, no matter how scattered I am every day.
 
Comments from Director Mohammad Rasoulof:
Receiving the Kurosawa Award is a great honor for me. His films are profound explorations of the human condition and the moral choices we make in moments of crisis. Kurosawa was a dynamic and inquisitive visual storyteller whose unique perspective on humanity, nature, and the world has made his work an enduring source of inspiration in cinema.
 
O Mipo Profile
O Mipo entered the film industry as a script supervisor after graduating from the Faculty of Arts at Osaka University of Arts. Her first feature-length screenplay, The Sakais’ Happiness, won the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award, and she made her directorial debut with the film in 2006. Here Comes the Bride, My Mom! (2010) won the Kaneto Shindo Award, Gold Prize. With The Light Shines Only There (2014), she received the Best Director Award at the Montreal World Film Festival and the film was also selected as Japan’s submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Being Good (2015) won the Best Asian Film Award at the Moscow International Film Festival. After the birth of two children, O directed her first feature in nine years, Living in Two Worlds (2024), which was selected for the Shanghai International Film Festival competition and garnered high praise both domestically and internationally. Her latest work, How Dare You? (2025), was selected for the competition of the Zlín Film Festival and earned critical acclaimed at numerous international film festivals. O Mipo has also authored books and directed commercials and music videos.
 
Mohammad Rasoulof Profile
Mohammad Rasoulof, a filmmaker born in Shiraz in southern Iran, turned to documentary filmmaking after studying sociology and made his first feature film in 2000. He confronted state censorship head-on and continued working with the conviction that, under authoritarian rule, “filmmaking is itself a political act.” Many of his films have been shot clandestinely, guerrilla-style, beyond the scrutiny of the authorities, and smuggled out of Iran for international screenings. Personal responsibility and the moral dimensions of individual choices in a society subjected to domination and repression are among the central themes of Rasoulof’s films. In 2010, Rasoulof was arrested and imprisoned while making a film. Nevertheless, he continued to make films in secret. “Fear is the greatest form of censorship. That is why I make films about not being afraid,” he said in an interview at the Cannes Film Festival. There Is No Evil, winner of the Golden Bear at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival, was made while Rasoulof was subjected to severe repression and censorship and barred from leaving the country. In 2022, Rasoulof was arrested again and sent to prison. He was provisionally released eight months later. In 2024, Rasoulof was sentenced to eight years in prison. Shortly before the Cannes Film Festival, while completing his latest film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, he was forced to leave Iran covertly. Set against the backdrop of the women’s movement, the film portrays the internal collapse of authoritarian power in Iran. In 2025, The Seed of the Sacred Fig represented Germany and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
 
Kurosawa Akira’s Favorite Films
TIFF will present several of his own masterpieces, as well as beloved titles by the world-renowned director during the festival.
 
The Circus (1928), directed by Charles Chaplin
Sanshiro Sugata 4K Restoration (1943), directed by Kurosawa Akira
Ikiru 4K Restoration (1952), directed by Kurosawa Akira
Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987), directed by Abbas Kiarostami