Japan will take centre stage at the 2026 Marché du Film, the Cannes Film Festival’s business hub, after organisers named the country the next Country of Honour. Marché du Film Executive Director Guillaume Esmiol announced the selection in Tokyo on Tuesday, alongside Junichi Sakomoto, who chairs the Executive Committee for Japan, Country of Honour. The recognition places Japan at the heart of the market’s opening activities and positions its screen sectors for a prominent global showcase next May in France.
Organisers said the Country of Honour platform will highlight Japan’s film, animation, and wider content industries. The plan signals a focused effort to put Japanese creators, studios, and rights holders in front of international buyers and partners. The announcement strengthens ties between the Cannes market and a major production base in Asia at a moment when distributors and platforms continue to look for distinctive stories and well-known IP.
Context and timing
Guillaume Esmiol revealed the 2026 Country of Honour designation at the Tokyo International Film Festival on Tuesday, 28 October 2025. He appeared with Junichi Sakomoto, who leads the executive committee guiding Japan’s participation. The Marché du Film will run in May 2026 in Cannes, France, alongside the Cannes Film Festival.
The Country of Honour role means Japan will help open the market and steer a high-profile showcase during the week. Organisers outlined the focus on film, animation, and broader content, signalling a large-scale presence that aims to meet global demand for new partnerships and fresh releases.
Country of Honour role puts Japan in market spotlight
The Country of Honour banner places Japan in a leading position during the 2026 market. The Marché du Film uses the designation to direct attention to a specific territory and its screen ecosystem. Under this banner, Japan will lead opening festivities and mount an expanded industry presence. This visibility helps attract buyers, sales agents, and commissioners who plan their market schedules around headline events.
For Japan, the role supports its push to connect creators and companies with international partners. The focus on film, animation, and content reflects the country’s broad output, from live-action cinema to screen-adjacent media. Organisers expect strong interest from distributors and platforms that track Japanese storytelling and design, including animation that already travels to global audiences.
Announcement at Tokyo International Film Festival
Esmiol made the announcement at the Tokyo International Film Festival, a key date in Asia’s film calendar. By choosing Tokyo for the reveal, the Marché underscored its partnership with a leading regional industry. Junichi Sakomoto joined Esmiol to present the plans and to represent Japan’s executive committee for the Country of Honour programme.
The Tokyo setting signalled a coordinated effort between the French market and Japanese stakeholders. With the decision public months ahead of Cannes, planners can build a programme that matches the market’s international scale. The timeline gives producers, sales companies, and public bodies time to align their showcases and business goals.
Organisers outline plans for film, animation and content showcase
According to organisers, Japan will mount a large-scale showcase that spans film, animation, and cross-media content. This approach recognises how modern markets connect cinema with series, formats, games, and interactive works. The plan seeks to show the range of Japanese IP and the production craft that feeds both theatrical screens and on-demand platforms.
The Country of Honour spotlight can help Japanese companies present upcoming slates and find new routes to market. It also supports conversations on adaptation, remakes, and co-productions. Animation stands out as a pillar of the plan. Industry watchers will track how Japanese studios use the platform to reach new buyers and build partnerships across regions.
Marché du Film’s business hub status and what it offers
The Marché du Film serves as the Cannes Film Festival’s business hub. Buyers, sellers, producers, and commissioners converge in Cannes to screen titles, close deals, and plan releases. The market’s scale and timing give it significant influence over yearly distribution strategies. The Country of Honour slot offers rare profile within that environment.
With Japan in the spotlight, the market can provide more touchpoints for meetings and presentations that feature Japanese work. Attendees tend to align their diaries around high-visibility events. As a result, the Country of Honour campaign can draw extra traffic to national stands and company booths, giving Japanese participants more chances to pitch projects and secure partnerships.
Strategic opportunity for Japanese creators and companies
Japan’s recognition as Country of Honour arrives as global demand for distinctive stories remains strong. Streamers, broadcasters, and independent distributors continue to look for titles with clear identity and loyal audiences. Japan’s storytelling traditions, visual style, and deep IP catalogues can meet those needs across genres and formats.
The showcase can also support talent discovery. Producers and buyers often use the Cannes market to scan for new voices and to assess projects in development. A coordinated national push can help emerging filmmakers and studios reach decision-makers they might not meet otherwise. The focus on animation and broader content reflects a strategy to engage both film specialists and cross-media buyers.
What attendees can expect on the road to Cannes 2026
Organisers confirmed that Japan will lead the market’s opening festivities and headline a broad showcase. They set the emphasis on film, animation, and content, and pointed to a large-scale presence next May. Further programming details will arrive as the market draws closer and as partners finalise schedules.
In the months ahead, companies on both sides can prepare catalogues, preview slates, and meeting plans that leverage the Country of Honour spotlight. Industry groups often coordinate training, presentations, and networking to make the most of the moment. Attendees who work in acquisitions, sales, and co-productions will watch for updates that outline how to access Japanese showcases and matchmaking opportunities in Cannes.
A bridge between Tokyo and Cannes for 2026
Tuesday’s Tokyo announcement set an international tone for the 2026 market. It created a bridge between Asia’s vibrant production scene and Cannes, where the Marché acts as a global crossroads. The alignment can support business across regions and help new projects find backing before the next production cycle.
As teams refine the programme, the Country of Honour campaign will aim to show the breadth of Japan’s screen output. The plan acknowledges animation’s global draw while keeping film and broader content in focus. That mix can help organisers speak to a wide set of buyers and commissioners who work across platforms and territories.
Wrap-up
Japan’s Country of Honour role at the 2026 Marché du Film gives its screen industries a high-profile stage in Cannes next May. The Tokyo announcement by Guillaume Esmiol, alongside Junichi Sakomoto, set clear aims: lead the market’s opening and deliver a large-scale showcase across film, animation, and content. The move links a key Asian production base with the Cannes market at a time of strong international appetite for distinct stories and adaptable IP.
Attendees can expect Japan to shape the market’s opening rhythm and to anchor a programme that draws global buyers. As organisers release more details, companies will align strategies to use the added visibility. The campaign offers Japanese creators and rights holders a direct route to partners, while global distributors gain a concentrated view of one of the world’s most influential screen cultures.
