Tokyo Festival: Directors reject separate exile category as Academy rules shift

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently updated its eligibility rules to allow exiled filmmakers to compete for Oscars. This change drew attention to the Tokyo International Film Festival, where industry leaders debated the best way to support artists forced from their home countries. The discussion coincided with the Japanese premiere of five short films funded by Cate Blanchett’s Displacement Film Fund.

Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof and Iranian-born Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat expressed reservations about creating a standalone Oscar category for exiled creators. Sadat, whose fund-backed short is titled Super Afghan Gym, described the label as a joke to her. She stated that she does not view herself as the displaced filmmaker. Her comment came as the Academy’s top leadership attended the festival this week to discuss the new eligibility standards.

Rasoulof, who directed The Sense of Water, emphasized his desire to focus creative energy on production rather than categorization. He suggested that specific categories could create issues for artists. Rasoulof said he preferred to close the distance between exiled filmmakers and mainstream audiences rather than remain in a separate group. He noted that the location of a screening matters less than the effort to bridge cultural gaps.

Clare Stewart, managing director of International Film Festival Rotterdam, offered historical context for the debate. She pointed out that Rasoulof’s film The Seed of the Sacred Fig was nominated in the previous Oscar cycle. That film represented Germany and was among the first to benefit from the recent rule change. Stewart argued that this precedent questions the need for a new category. She asked what dialogue such a designation would create regarding the social position of refugee filmmakers.

Cate Blanchett, co-founder of the Displacement Film Fund, praised the Academy’s decision to acknowledge the realities facing displaced artists. She noted that many careers are interrupted by wars and conflicts. Blanchett described the Academy’s recognition as a profound step, even if it appears small. She emphasized that the fund aims to bring these stories to the mainstream to counter toxic narratives surrounding displaced persons.

The first cohort of films has already held an Academy qualifying screening in Los Angeles. Another screening is scheduled for New York in mid-November. Blanchett said the primary goal is to allow American audiences to see these films. She added that the film industry is accustomed to international co-productions. She expressed a wish for governments to model the same level of communication seen in cultural diplomacy within the film sector.

The fund supports filmmakers who are displaced or have a history of telling authentic stories about displacement. It was formed at the UNHCR Global Refugee Forum in December 2023. Blanchett met Yanai Koji, a senior executive at Fast Retailing, at that event. The initiative launched at the Rotterdam festival in January 2025. Its founding partners include Mastermind, Uniqlo, the Tamer Family Foundation, the Amahoro Coalition, and Droom en Daad. The SP Lohia Foundation joined as a main partner this year.

The first cohort includes Rasoulof, Sadat, Mo Harawe, Hasan Kattan, and Maryna Er Gorbach. Their films premiered at Rotterdam in January and have screened in London, El Gouna, and São Paulo. Sadat, who was born in Iran and moved to Afghanistan as a child, said she wanted to explore the discomfort of feeling at home in neither country. Rasoulof described his film as a quiet look at isolation and the struggle to learn a new language. Japanese actor Koji Yakusho attended the post-screening talk and praised both films for their emotional depth.