Japan Pitch Heads to Busan Film Festival With Co-Production Projects
Atmovie Inc. will stage Japan Pitch at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, giving four filmmakers from its Atmovie Global Track accelerator a platform to pitch original feature projects to international buyers and producers.
Atmovie Global Track, backed by the Japan Creator Support Fund through the Japan Arts Council, was set up to help Japanese film creators break into international co-production deals. As part of the program, the four fellows will present their projects on stage in Busan and hold individual meetings with visiting producers, buyers and festival professionals.
The event runs across two days at the Centum Hotel Emerald Hall. On Oct. 11, Japan Pitch sessions take place and on Oct. 12, one-on-one meetings run, followed by a second round of pitches and a networking reception.
Kinoshita Yusuke is pitching “Children of the Empire.” Raised in Australia after being born in Tokyo, Kinoshita made his name at Waseda University with the short “Birdcage,” runner-up for the grand prize and audience award at the 2003 Pia Film Festival. His subsequent feature “Water Flower” played the Berlin Film Festival in 2006, and his segment in the anthology “Ten Years Japan,” executive produced by Kore-eda Hirokazu, screened in Busan before releasing theatrically in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea. “Children of the Empire” was selected for the VIPO Film Lab NY Script Workshop as well as Atmovie Global Track. Kinoshita founded the company Spectra Inc. earlier this year.
Saito Shiori is developing her first feature documentary, “Omusubi.” Saito spent close to a decade in New York directing and editing documentary and travel programming before co-founding the production company Mimosa LLC in 2021. She is also known for documentary short “Floating in Between.”
Joya Yoshimi is pitching her feature debut, “Almost Goodbye.” Joya worked as a production manager in commercials before relocating to Canada for overseas production work, then returned to Japan in 2020 to resume directing. Her short film credits include “Be Happy Anyway,” “Doughnuts Mori,” “Colors Under the Streetlights,” an official selection in the Vancouver Film Festival’s short film competition, and “Someday.”
Arai Soji, a Tokyo-based producer and actor, is presenting “Their Own Sake.” Arai has acted in films by Hamaguchi Ryusuke, Guan Hu, Miike Takashi and Danielle Arbid, along with international projects including Canal+’s “Singapura,” Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” and HBO’s “Tokyo Vice.” As a producer, his credits include the Japan-Korea co-produced short “Route 7,” which took home the audience award from the Busan International Short Film Festival and a market pick at Clermont-Ferrand, and the co-production feature “The Penthouse.” His latest project, “At the River’s Edge,” landed a spot in the feature competition at the 31st Split Film Festival. Arai previously brought “Their Own Sake” to the 2026 Cannes Film Festival as part of Atmovie Global Track.
Atmovie Inc. is based in Shibuya, Tokyo, and is led by CEO Moriya Takeshi. The company produces and oversees television dramas, feature films and streaming content.
