A lively discussion about the global standing of the Tokyo International Film Festival — and whether such considerations even matter — was the highlight of a rather genteel competition jury press conference on Tuesday.

The 2026 Tokyo competition jury is headed by Dutch-Australian filmmaker Rolf de Heer ( Bad Boy Bubby, Charlie’s Country, Ten Canoes and The Tracker ), and he was joined on stage by competition jury members: French film colorist and producer Yov Moor; leading South Korean producer Oh Jungwan; veteran Japanese actress Makiko Watanabe; and Taiwanese-American producer Alex C.…