Annemarie Jacir’s epic historical drama Palestine 36 took the Tokyo International Film Festival’s top prize, the Grand Prix/The Governor of Tokyo Award, at an awards ceremony in the Japanese capital on Wednesday.
In what has been a banner year for Palestinian cinema, and Palestine 36 in particular, the film adds the Tokyo prize after a rapturous reception at the Toronto Film Festival, including a lengthy standing ovation. The film was also selected as Palestine’s official entry for the best international feature category at the 2026 Academy Awards. Jacir’s film focuses on the 1936 Arab Revolt against British rule in Palestine, and examines the early roots of the Palestine-Israel conflict. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Hiam Abbass, Kamel El Basha, Yasmine Al Massri, Jalal Altawil, Robert Aramayo, Saleh Bakri, Liam Cunningham and Jeremy Irons.
The festival’s special jury prize went to Rithy Panh’s documentary We Are the Fruits of the Forest. The Cambodian-French production, which had its world premiere in Tokyo, explores the lives of the Bunong people in Cambodia, an indigenous ethnic group that is under grave threat due to climate change.
The best actress prize was shared between Fukuchi Momoko and Kawase Naomi, stars of Nakagawa Ryutaro’s Japanese familial drama Echoes of Motherhood, which also had its world premiere at Tokyo. The actor award went to Wang Chuanjun for his turn in Zhang Lu’s critically acclaimed Chinese drama Mothertongue.
Mothertongue, which world premiered at Tokyo, also won Lu the best director prize, something he shared Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis, the Italian filmmakers behind the well-regard western Heads or Tails?
The festival’s audience prize, picked by popular vote among public filmgoers, went to Japanese filmmaker Sakashita Yuichiro’s school dramedy Blonde. The socially charged comedy, inspired by a real-life student revolt over Japan’s outdated school rules, tells the story of a teacher whose life is turned upside down when all his female students dye their hair blonde in protest.
The full winners list is below.
Grand Prix/The Governor of Tokyo Award
Palestine 36
Special Jury Prize
We Are the Fruits of the Forest
Best Director
Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis (Heads or Tails?) and Zhang Lu (Mothertongue)
Best Actor
Wang Chuanjun (Mothertongue)
Best Actress
Fukuchi Momoko and Kawase Naomi (Echoes of Motherhood)
Award for Best Artistic Contribution
Mother
Audience Award
Blonde
Asian Future Best Film Award
Halo
Kurosawa Akira Award
Lee Sang-il and Chloé Zhao
38th TIFF Lifetime Achievement Award
Yōji Yamada and Sayuri Yoshinaga
TIFF Ethical Film Award
White House
