TIFF director Shozo Ichiyama on bridging the gap with Chinese cinema

Shozo Ichiyama started working as the programmer of the Asian sidebars at the Tokyo International Film Festival in the early 1990s and became its programming director in 2021. | JOHAN BROOKS

Nov 15, 2026

It’s no exaggeration to call Shozo Ichiyama a guru of Chinese cinema.

In addition to his role as programming director of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), he has produced almost all of the features by Jia Zhangke, one of China’s leading contemporary filmmakers, since 2000 “Platform” (2000). Ichiyama has also worked on titles by independent directors Yang Lina, Wang Qi and Song Fang. His international footprint includes a string of collaborations with acclaimed Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien in the 1990s, notably the iconic “Flowers of Shanghai” (1998).

On a brisk November morning, the 63-year-old cineaste sat down with The Japan Times at TIFF’s headquarters in Tokyo’s Yurakucho neighborhood for a conversation about the past, present and future of Chinese filmmaking. With his memorable mane of white hair and easygoing manner, Ichiyama spoke freely and earnestly about his career and his relationships with Chinese artists.

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