Rolf de Heer to Lead Tokyo Film Festival Competition Jury

The Tokyo International Film Festival has named Australian director Rolf de Heer president of its international competition jury for the 39th edition, running Oct. 26–Nov. 4.

De Heer has spent more than 40 years in Tasmania, Australia, directing, writing and producing films across a broad range of genres. His 1993 feature "Bad Boy Bubby" won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival, along with the festival's Fipresci Prize. Four of his films have appeared in the official selection at Cannes, among them "Ten Canoes" (2006), which took the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section.

The appointment carries a programmatic dimension. This year's World Focus lineup at TIFF includes Australia Spotlight, a dedicated showcase of Australian cinema mounted with the Australian Embassy in Japan. The series will screen de Heer's "The Survival of Kindness" (2022), a competition entry at the 73rd Berlin Film Festival that went on to win the Fipresci Prize there.

De Heer addressed the duties ahead with characteristic directness. "For any of us attending the Tokyo International Film Festival, it is a privilege," he said. "For me, as a filmmaker, it is even more so. The more films I manage to make, the fewer films I manage to see, especially on the big screen. But as a part of this jury, I have the duty, the obligation, to see at least 15 films and talk about them with other filmmakers."

Festival director Hisamatsu Takeo said he was delighted to welcome the Australian as jury president. "With his distinctive perspective and unwavering commitment to filmmaking, De Heer has spent decades opening up new possibilities in cinema," Hisamatsu said. "We look forward to the fresh dialogue and discoveries that his wealth of experience and deep insight will bring to this year's Competition and its diverse selection of films."

The numbers behind the career are substantial. De Heer trained at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and has since written or co-written 14 screenplays that reached the screen as feature films. His director's credits run to 15 and a half features spanning a range of budgets and genres. He has produced or co-produced 16 fiction films and five documentaries.

The filmography includes several landmark collaborations. "Dingo" (1991) starred Colin Friels and jazz musician Miles Davis. "The Tracker" (2002) began De Heer's work with Australian Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil, a partnership that culminated in "Charlie's Country" (2013), for which Gulpilil won the best actor award at Cannes. "Alexandra's Project" (2003) earned Helen Buday a best actress award at the San Sebastian Film Festival after the film screened in competition at the Berlin Film Festival.

TIFFCOM, the festival's industry market, runs Oct. 28–30, giving the Australian spotlight and De Heer's jury presidency a commercial platform alongside the showcase itself. With "The Survival of Kindness" screening in the Australia Spotlight program, the festival effectively doubles its bet on one of the country's most enduring independent voices.