The official program and timetable for the "2nd AI Film Festival Japan 2026" have been announced.
PROGRAM & TIMETABLE
Official Sessions, Speakers Schedule & Screening Program Lineup
DAY 1: Opening & Official Screenings
SPEAKER LINEUP
Global visionaries, film producers, and pioneering AI creators gathering at Tokyo Innovation Base
Keynote & Special Guests
Phil Tippett
Founder, Tippett Studio / Director
Two-time Academy Award-winning visual effects pioneer behind legendary classics such as Star Wars and Jurassic Park.
Muneyuki Kii
CEO, K2 Pictures
Visionary film producer behind hit releases including the acclaimed Look Back. Founder & CEO of K2 Pictures transforming Japanese cinema.
Kevin Lin
Co-founder & Former COO, Twitch
Co-founder of the global streaming platform Twitch. Currently GP at Lifelike Capital investing across Web3, AI, and creative media.
Motoyuki Suzuki
Former Senior Managing Director, HoriPro
Director at HoriPro Group Holdings. A pillar of the Japanese talent, television, and entertainment industry across multiple decades.
Global & Technology Innovators
Dr. Charles Lee
Founder & CEO, imCore Corp. / TWR
Producer across 120+ film and television productions, pioneering international co-productions between Asia and Hollywood.
Gary Mundell
Co-founder & CEO, LOFTAPPS
Producer at Tippett Film and former CEO of Tippett Studio. Spearheading generative AI pipelines for cinematic studios.
Yuki Shirato
Managing Director, Techstars Japan
Leading Techstars Japan as Managing Director and active angel investor, connecting Japanese founders to global capital.
Oi Rice
Founder & CEO, Kirin AI
Early member at Applied Intuition in Silicon Valley. Now leading Kirin AI to build cutting-edge generative tools for creators.
Yukihiro Osawa
Chairman, Jurin AI / Special Advisor, Dolby Japan
At Dolby Japan, played a vital role in audio innovation. Now championing generative music and sound design.
Travis Rice
Founder, OMNI International AI Film Festival
Curator and founder of OMNI International AI Film Festival, championing visionary independent creators worldwide.
John Gauntt
Creative Director, Seattle AI Film Festival
Co-founder of Seattle AI Film Festival and media analyst examining how generative systems transform visual storytelling.
Remko Noteboom
Co-founder & CTO, LOFTAPPS
Founder and CTO of Boombastik Labs, engineering next-generation computational architectures for creative visual workflows.
Industry, IP & Broadcast Leaders
Makoto Kimura
CEO, BLUE RIGHTS
Former MAPPA Director. Producer of globally acclaimed anime titles, structuring next-generation IP business architectures.
Yoshimitsu Kaji
Chairman & CSDO, Cinnamon AI / Senior Principal, Hitachi
Former Sony Pictures and Time Warner executive. Strategic architect bridging entertainment IP and enterprise AI implementations.
Kenichi Watanabe
Cool Japan Producer, Cabinet Office / Claude Ambassador
Value designer and narrative architect pioneering cultural intelligence and creative AI integration.
Masahiro Aida
President, Upside / Cinematographer
Renowned Director of Photography for the TV drama series Aibou, exploring the synergy between traditional craftsmanship and AI.
Chikara Ito
CEO, andpictures / Film Producer
Leader of the MIRRORLIAR FILMS initiative and Forbes JAPAN Culturepreneur 30 honoree, revitalizing regional storytelling.
Masanao Takahashi
Executive Specialist, TBS Television
Veteran broadcast producer leading theatrical animation and major film events across Japan's leading commercial network.
Yasuho Honda
Producer, AX-ON / NOKI AI Studio
Founding member of Nippon TV Group's NOKI AI Studio, implementing practical generative pipelines for commercial broadcasting.
Rina Takei
CEO, Chammi
Leading Japanese IP globalization in the North American market and developing AI-powered production studios.
Kenjiro Akai
Producer, CyberAgent
Producer within CyberAgent's Creative New Business Division, developing generative AI advertising and cinematic solutions.
Yuta Ujiie
Partner, Aoyama Sogo Law Office
Leading entertainment and intellectual property attorney specializing in copyright compliance and creator protection in AI.
Masayoshi Sakai
Visiting Researcher, GLOCOM / METI
Prominent policymaker and content industry analyst advising governmental bodies on digital media development.
Masao Kawano
Program Director, Tsucrea / TCIC
Program Director at Tokyo Content Incubation Center (TCIC), mentoring creators and accelerating startup ventures.
Taiga Takahashi
CEO, Smoothie Studio
Leading an innovative animation studio cultivating emerging digital creators and modernized production models.
Yutaka Narita
Producer, MARZA ANIMATION PLANET
Key animation producer at MARZA (SEGA SAMMY Group), delivering globally competitive 3DCG cinematic masterpieces.
AI Filmmakers, Jury & Creators
Harry Hyun
Founder & Lead Director, MooAm
Director of Collapse (#1 Korean Netflix release). Winner of the Minister of Science & ICT Award. AIFJ 2026 International Jury.
Toby Hyder
Founder, XOLink / Creative Technologist
Former Synthesia lead, founding XOLink to pioneer proprietary synthetic datasets and award-winning AI films. AIFJ 2026 International Jury.
Timo Ramu
Filmmaker & Animator
Cannes Lions Gold & D&AD winner behind international commercial films, 007 franchise projects, and AI animation Buddy Dog.
John Wang
Co-founder, Atelier 452 Ltd. / Film Producer
Leading visual production across East Asia, presenting masterclass demos on next-gen animation and AI integration.
Alexander KOAN Mitchell
Art Producer / Curator
Exploring the boundaries between digital art, contemporary gallery curation, and the artisan value of cinema in the age of algorithms.
Kazumi Kitazawa
Head of VFX, CafeGroup
AI Creative Director pioneering cutting-edge hybrid pipelines uniting commercial CG, XR visual environments, and generative models.
Norihiko
CEO, Benevo / CCO, aicrew
Acclaimed AI director whose film PUNCHLINE was selected as an official finalist for AIFJ 2026.
AI-sama no Geboku
AI Creator / YouTuber
Top creator and influencer sharing generative filmmaking techniques, prompting tutorials, and community insights across YouTube.
Tsuyoshi Sone
Film Director / Cinematographer
Japan Academy Prize-winning cinematographer for One Cut of the Dead, presenting live demos for his AI horror film Kaiki! Shiniku no Otoko.
Hirona Takahashi
Film Director / Screenwriter
Demonstrating the production methodology and philosophical narrative behind his feature-length AI cinema LET THERE BE LIGHT.
Hoda Fallah
Director (Special Guest)
Celebrated international filmmaker exploring memory and displacement, presenting a special festival screening of The Last Class.
Simone Sighinolfi
Director / Artist (Special Guest)
European visionary digital filmmaker presenting an exclusive theatrical preview screening of his innovative AI short.
Festival Highlights
Screenings / Panel Discussions, etc.
Screenings focused on selected works from Japan and abroad.
Awards Ceremony, etc.
Announcement of AIFJ 2026 awards and Sponsored Special Awards.
Business Conference / Enterprise Programs, etc.
Enterprises, IP holders, and creators gather to discuss generative AI implementation, production, rights, and business applications.
Join the Next Horizon of Cinema
In its second year, this year's festival aims to surpass last year's attendance, creating an environment where even more creators and industry professionals can connect.
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