The first five short films produced under Cate Blanchett’s Displacement Film Fund screened this afternoon at the Tokyo Film Festival, and the two-time Oscar winner was present alongside DFF fund directors Shahrbanoo Sadat and Mohammad Rasoulof for a post-screening Q&A.
The five films that screened are Rotation by Maryna Er Gorbach; Sadat’s Super Afghan Gym; Allies in Exile by Hasan Kattan; Mo Harawe’s Whispers of a Burning Scent; and Rasoulof’s Sense of Water.
Discussing the origins of the DFF, Blanchett described the project as a lengthy journey that was realized thanks to the work of a “very passionate group of us to realize this dream of supporting the work of extraordinary filmmakers who happen to have experienced displacement themselves.”
“One in 70 people around the world is displaced. A group of us began asking: Why aren’t these urgent and compelling stories more visible in the mainstream? We wanted to find a way to help bring them to audiences,” Blanchett continued. “Short films are often a space where filmmakers can take risks and experiment freely. We wanted to offer that opportunity to amazing filmmakers.”
Blanchett added that she is an “enormous admirer” of both Sadat and Rasoulof’s work and emphasized Sadat’s comments that being “displaced” or a “refugee” are not “defining characteristics of a person.”
“These filmmakers happen to be displaced, but that is not the defining characteristic of their work,” Blanchett said.
“Although I haven’t personally been displaced, as an audience member and a film artist, I connect deeply with these films. They speak about things I’ve experienced, too. The filmmakers reach into very different forms and stories to express our common humanity.”
Rasoulof’s Sense of Water follows an exiled Iranian writer who struggles to pick up the language in his new adopted home. Sadat’s Super Afghan Gym follows a group of Afghan housewives in Kabul who gather at a local gym during the only hour of the day reserved for women. They train and talk about body norms and their daily life.
Discussing her short, Sadat said she wanted to explore the social pressures that make people feel uncomfortable in their own bodies.
“There is a feeling of not being enough, of always having to correct something to be accepted,” she said. “Whether we move from one place to another, or live in Asia or elsewhere, we carry our first home with us: our bodies. With Super Afghan Gym, I wanted to talk about these feelings of not being comfortable in your own body.”
The trio was joined on stage by a surprise guest during the Q&A: Godzilla Minus One filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki, who praised the DFF project.
“There are five films in this cohort, and I think they were chosen very well. The balance among the films is strong,” Takashi said. “I know there will be a second, third, and many more editions of the film fund. I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing the films.”
Blanchett launched the DFF in 2025. The Rotterdam Film Festival’s Hubert Bals Fund is the Management Partner. Amahoro Coalition, Droom en Daad, Master Mind, the Tamer Family Foundation and UNIQLO are Founding Partners.
The fund’s second cohort was announced at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. It includes Mo Amer, Annemarie Jacir, Akuol de Mabior, Rithy Panh, and Bao Nguyen.
The Tokyo Film Festival runs until November 4.
