Last Updated: 2026.06.19
UNIQLO Hosts Actor Tao Okamoto and International Film Festival Leaders for Discussion on the Power of Film to Amplify Refugee Voices - Special Preview Screening of Films Supported by the Displacement Film Fund
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From left: Shozo Ichiyama (Programming Director, Tokyo International Film Festival), Clare Stewart (Managing Director, International Film Festival Rotterdam),
Tao Okamoto (Actor / Model / Director), Hiroyasu Matsuoka (Representative Director, President and CEO, TOHO Co., Ltd.), Koji Yanai (Director and Group Senior Executive Officer, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.)
Ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20, UNIQLO held the "PEACE FOR ALL × Displacement Film Fund Short Film Special Preview Screening" on Thursday, June 18, at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills, with the cooperation of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and TOHO CO., LTD. The event was held to mark the launch of a new Displacement Film Fund (DFF) collaboration T-shirt as part of UNIQLO's PEACE FOR ALL charity T-shirt project, and featured a special screening of selected films alongside a talk session.
"PEACE FOR ALL × Displacement Film Fund Short Film Special Screening"
The talk session held ahead of the screening featured four speakers: Clare Stewart, Managing Director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR); Shozo Ichiyama, Programming Director of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF); Tao Okamoto, actor, model, and filmmaker, who recently became the first Japanese actor to win the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival; and Koji Yanai, Fast Retailing Group Senior Executive Officer. Together, they discussed the power of film to communicate displaced people's experiences and foster greater understanding.
During the talk event, Clare Stewart emphasized the urgency of the DFF's purpose of supporting displaced filmmakers and bringing stories of displacement to wider audiences. She described it as "a very unique fund," noting that, from a film industry perspective, collaborations of this kind--which bring together cultural and philanthropic foundations, and companies such as UNIQLO--are very rare.
Shozo Ichiyama responded by commending the films supported by the DFF, stating that while they address refugee-related themes and include works by filmmakers with displaced backgrounds, they are "not driven by theme alone, but are also outstanding as films." He explained that he was impressed by the selection of talented directors and the cinematic quality of the works, which led to their selection at the TIFF.
Tao Okamoto also expressed strong empathy for the mission of the DFF, referring to her own family's refugee background and the thoughts that led her to direct her film My Sweet Pala. She commented that "as more individual stories are shared with people, empathy can spread, leading to a better and kinder world," and spoke passionately about why these are films that audiences should see now.
The special screening featured two of the five films supported in the DFF's first funding round: "Rotation," directed by Maryna Er Gorbach, which follows a young Ukrainian woman during a period of rotation away from the front line as she tries to cope with reality through a hypnotherapy ritual; and "Allies in Exile," a documentary by Hasan Kattan that captures the daily life of the director and his close friend and fellow filmmaker Fadi in a hotel for asylum seekers in London, after being forced to flee Aleppo, Syria, first to Turkiye. "Allies in Exile" received the Refugee Reporting Award at the One World Media Awards held in London on the day before the special screening. A special message from director Hasan Kattan was also presented before the screening.
"Allies in Exile" director Hasan Kattan said:
What inspired me to make this film is my own experience as a refugee living in asylum accommodation with my friend Fadi. We were living in uncertainty, waiting for decisions, surrounded by many stories and people in the same situation. There was a question that kept following me: when people ask, "Why did you choose to become a refugee?" For me, I believe it wasn't a choice--never a choice. It was never a dream.
I tried to answer this question through this film--through my own journey, through my friend Fadi's journey, and through what we witnessed and felt from inside the asylum system. In the media, people talk about refugees in terms of numbers, boats, statistics, and political arguments. But what I saw were humans. I saw talent, I saw love, I saw families--brave people who just want a chance. Making this film wasn't easy. It was hard to face my own pain, to face myself, but making this film helped me to survive, to understand, and to process. Sometimes we make films to tell stories, but sometimes we make films to survive through them.
Koji Yanai, Fast Retailing Group Senior Executive Officer, said: "UNIQLO has been supporting refugees for more than 25 years. We are deeply grateful to our customers and the many others whose support has helped expand this circle of assistance. I believe films have the power to move people and change perspectives. The works by the directors we supported in the first round are notable for their range--from fiction to documentary--as well as for the strong conviction, deep emotion and empathy rooted in the directors' own experiences. I believe these films will serve as a catalyst for increasing interest in and understanding of the refugee issue within Japan. I am very pleased that these works will be screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival and seen by audiences in Japan. We will continue supporting the DFF and helping to bring these voices to wider audiences.
About the Displacement Film Fund (DFF)
The DFF was established to support and fund the work of filmmakers who have been forcibly displaced, or who have a track record of telling stories about displacement. Co-created and led by actor, producer and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett, the Fund was announced at the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2025, with MASTER MIND, UNIQLO, Droom en Daad, the Tamer Family Foundation, and the Amahoro Coalition as founding partners. The Hubert Bals Fund serves as a managing partner, and UNHCR as a strategic partner. At the 55th IFFR, Aarti Lohia and the SP Lohia Foundation were announced as new major partners, having pledged their support to the fund following the success of its pilot year.
The five short films produced with first-round support are "Allies in Exile" by Hasan Kattan, "Rotation" by Maryna Er Gorbach, "Sense of Water" by Mohammad Rasoulof, "Super Afghan Gym" by Shahrbanoo Sadat, and "Whispers of a Burning Scent" by Mo Harawe. The films had their world premieres at IFFR 2026, where they received strong international acclaim, including a five-star review from The Guardian. Furthermore, the five films have been selected for their Japan premiere at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival to be held from October 26 to November 4, 2026.
Following the success of its first year, the DFF has launched a second funding round. At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026, Cate Blanchett announced five newly selected filmmakers: Mohammed Amer, Annemarie Jacir, Akuol de Mabior, Bao Nguyen, and Rithy Panh.
The Collaboration Between the PEACE FOR ALL Charity T-shirt Project and the DFF
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Launched in June 2022, PEACE FOR ALL is a charity T-shirt project created with the voluntary participation of collaborators who support the idea of taking action with a desire for world peace. Each design expresses its creator's own message of peace. Thanks to widespread support from customers since the project's launch, more than 10 million T-shirts had been sold worldwide as of the end of March 2026, with total donations reaching 3 billion yen. The DFF has joined PEACE FOR ALL as a new collaborator, and a T-shirt designed with words on the theme of peace contributed by the filmmakers supported in the Fund's first round will be available from Friday, June 19, 2026. Profits generated from sales of the DFF T-shirt will be donated back to DFF to support its mission.
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PEACE FOR ALL Exhibition - All Past Collaboration T-shirts on Display
UNIQLO has been running the PEACE FOR ALL charity T-shirt project since 2022. Designed voluntarily by notable collaborators who share UNIQLO's wish for world peace, the T-shirts are sold globally, and all profits are donated to international organizations, including UNHCR, that support people affected by poverty, discrimination, violence, conflict, and war. At the venue, all past collaboration T-shirts were displayed together, including the five new designs launching on June 19, 2026. In total, T-shirts from 54 collaborators were exhibited.
Five New Designs Launching on June 19, 2026 (from Left)
- Dick Bruna (creator of Miffy)
- Sofia Coppola (director / screenwriter)
- Displacement Film Fund
- PEANUTS
- Ke Huy Quan (actor)
