Cate Blanchett will attend this year’s Tokyo Film Festival with a series of short films supported by her Displacement Film Fund.
TIFF will screen five short works produced with support from the Displacement Film Fund, of which Japanese brand Uniqlo is a founding partner. Following the film screenings, there will be a Q&A session with director Mohammad Rasoulof, director Shahrbanoo Sadat (Super Afghan Gym), and Blanchett. The screenings will take place the same week that Blanchett is to be honored in Tokyo with the festival’s Praemium Imperiale Award.
“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 statement.
“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.”
The 2026 Tokyo Film Festival will run from October 26 to November 4. Scroll down to see the short projects.
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.
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.
Sense of Water (39 min., Iran/Germany)
Dir: Mohammad Rasoulof
In the chill of exile, an Iranian writer confronts a foreign language.
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.
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
