Hello, this is Izumitani from Ehime Film Commission.
We took part in what is arguably the most energetic event on the Japan Film Commission calendar: the National Location Fair — and this year’s edition broke all previous attendance records with 343 film and media industry professionals in attendance.
The concept is elegantly simple. Film commissions from every corner of Japan — Hokkaido to Okinawa — gather in one place to present their regions’ filming locations directly to directors, producers, and location scouts. For industry professionals, it’s a dream scenario: in a single day, you can effectively “scout” locations from across the entire country, and whenever you have a question, the person who knows the answer is standing right there in front of you.
When every meeting delivers immediate, tangible value for both sides, of course attendance grows. Past editions regularly drew over 200 professionals; this year’s 343 is a new high-water mark.
For Ehime FC, the fair was a chance to finally meet in person with filmmakers we had only ever spoken to via video call. “It’s great to finally meet you in person!” was a phrase we heard — and said — many times throughout the day.
Meetings can absolutely happen online. But there’s something about being in the same room that changes everything. The caliber of information you pick up, the speed at which trust builds, the unexpected conversations that go sideways in the best possible way — none of that translates quite the same through a screen. Multiple professionals told us exactly this, with genuine enthusiasm.
We had four meetings scheduled in advance, but by the end of the day, we had fielded inquiries about films, dramas, commercials, and more — far beyond what we had anticipated. Every unresolved question is a potential shoot, and we came home with plenty of homework.
The most emotional moment of the day, though, was an unexpected one. Tomonori Saiki — a native of Ehime who has served as head researcher at the National Film Archive of Japan and as a cultural art investigator for the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and who now chairs the Chofu Cinema Festival — came looking for me.
“I came to see you,” he said simply.
Saiki-san has been in my corner since the very beginning — when I launched Ehime FC back in 2002. He has been mentor, critic, and champion all at once, someone who has pushed me to do better at every stage.
“Looks like you’re doing well,” he said, after I updated him on our recent work. It was a reminder that the support network for Ehime FC and for filmmaking in Ehime extends far beyond the prefecture’s borders. And that, too, felt like something worth celebrating.