Japan IP Market Returns to Cannes for a Second Year in May 2027
The Japan IP Market is coming back to the Cannes Film Market in May 2027, for a second straight year. The market will run on May 14 and 15, 2027, according to Variety.
The return was revealed at TIFFCOM in Tokyo. TIFFCOM is the content market of the Tokyo International Film Festival, and the 2027 edition is a partnership between it and the Cannes Film Market.
For readers who don't work in film, "IP" stands for intellectual property. In this business it means the rights to a story, a character or a fictional world that can be turned into a film, a TV series, a game or merchandise. A popular manga, a novel or an animated franchise is an IP. The market is where rights holders meet producers, studios and streaming buyers who might want to adapt one.
The idea started in Tokyo. The Tokyo IP Market launched in 2025 at TIFFCOM, set up in response to rising global demand for Japanese IP. In 2026 it moved to Cannes as the Japan IP Market, linked to Japan's role as Country of Honour at the Cannes Film Market. The Marché du Film, the official name of the Cannes market, has said the event was designed to showcase Japanese intellectual property to buyers from around the world.
Several well-known Japanese companies took part in that first edition. Variety named Kadokawa, Shochiku and Toei Company among the firms that attended. Each has a long history of film and animation, and each controls rights to properties that audiences in many countries know.
The Cannes Film Market is led by executive director Guillaume Esmiol. The partnership means the Cannes side and the Tokyo side now share the event, rather than one hosting it alone.
For Japanese rights holders, the news gives them a fixed slot in the spring calendar. Cannes already draws a crowd of sales agents, buyers and producers each May, so a dedicated Japanese session sits inside a busy week. Deals made at these markets often take years to reach the screen, so the 2027 meetings will shape projects that viewers may not see until well after that.
Further details on programme, registration and the list of participating companies have not yet been announced.
