Scroll down for full list of winners

The 26th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has closed with the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix going to Lukas Moodysson’s Swedish film We Are The Best!.

The film, which debuted at Venice and received its Asian premiere in Tokyo, is about a young punk band in the 1980s. TrustNordisk has so far sold the film to more than 50 territories including the US, UK, Australia, France, Benelux and Italy.

The award includes a prize of $50,000 for director Moodysson and producer Lars Jønsson.

Behnam Behzadi’s Bending the Rules, a drama about a young Iranian theatre troupe trying to make it out of the country to perform overseas, won the $20,000 Special Jury Prize.

TIFF’s $10,000 Audience Award went to Lee Ju-hyoung’s Korean film Red Family, written and produced by Kim Ki-duk. Featuring a fake family of North Korean spies, the film received its world premiere at Tokyo.

In an interview during the festival, TIFF director general Yasushi Shiina said: “What we can do as a festival is be like a matchmaker - to introduce the filmmakers and investors with the TIFFCOM market.”

Commenting on the fact that the market opened a day after the fest Opening this year, he said: “TIFFCOM buyers and sellers are involved, but [with the market in the middle of the dates], can’t participate in the opening or closing ceremony. So next year, we have something to think about seriously.”

TIFF ran Oct 17-25 this year with its main venues in Roppongi and TIFFCOM ran Oct22-24 in Odaiba.

TIFF saw a total of 35,139 admissions for 97 films, down from 112 films last year.

Winners

Competition

Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix ($50,000)
We Are the Best! (Sweden) dir. Lukas Moodysson

Special Jury Prize ($20,000)
Bending the Rules (Iran) dir. Behnam Behzadi

Award for Best Director ($5,000)
Benedikt Erlingsson, Of Horses and Men (Iceland)

Award for Best Actress ($5,000)
Eugine Domingo, Barber’s Tales (Philippines)

Award for Best Actor ($5,000)
Wang Jingchun, To Live and Die in Ordos (China)

Award for Best Artistic Contribution ($5,000)
The Empty Hours (Mexico/France/Spain) Aarón Fernández

Audience Award ($10,000)
Red Family (Korea) dir. Lee Ju-hyoung

Asian Future section

Best Asian Future Film Award ($10,000)
Today and Tomorrow (China) dir. Yang Huilong

Asian Future, Special Mention
The Tale of Iya (Japan) dir. Tetsuichiro Tsuya

Japanese Cinema Splash

Best Picture Award
Forma (Japan) dir. Ayumi Sakamoto