TOKYO — Following an announcement at the Cannes Film Festival last month, Uniqlo is continuing its support and promotion of the newly created Displacement Film Fund, which was first launched by the company together with actress Cate Blanchett and other members in February. The first five recipients of the fund’s grants were revealed in May, and this week Uniqlo hosted one of them in its home country of Japan for a series of media events and interviews.

The Displacement Film Fund (DFF) was born out of a dinner conversation between Blanchett and Fast Retailing senior executive officer Koji Yanai back in 2023. Uniqlo has been supporting the UNHCR for nearly 20 years in a variety of capacities: through emergency relief, by donating clothing, supporting refugees to become self-reliant, and by providing employment opportunities within Fast Retailing to refugees. This new initiative is yet another way in which the company aims to support asylum seekers and displaced people, particularly by raising awareness of refugee issues in Japan.

”An appealing film can easily transcend borders and languages and reach far and wide. We decided to support this project because we believe that the power of film is its ability to involve people who have not previously had an active interest in refugees,” Uniqlo said in a statement.

Following a media event at the World Expo taking place in Osaka, Yanai joined filmmaker and fund recipient Hasan Kattan, as well as managing director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam Clare Stewart, in speaking with WWD.

“Since starting the project in February and announcing the recipients in May, the reaction from the media has been significant and very positive,” Yanai said. “One thing that I hadn’t realized was that refugees were until now not eligible to submit films to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. But due to the work of the DFF, this rule changed from this year. This will have a major impact on refugee filmmakers.”

Kattan is a Syrian refugee who was granted asylum status in the U.K. last fall, and whose family was only given the same status in April. Shortly thereafter he received the news that he had been selected as one of five recipients of a 100,000-euro DFF grant to finance the full production of a short film.

“When I received the news, I felt hope,” Kattan said. “This is an amazing chance to represent the story of refugees and to make people understand their perspective.”

Having previously served as producer of the Wim Wenders film “Perfect Days,” this is not Yanai’s first foray into the world of film and cinema.

“We can use the power of drama to support refugees,” the executive said.

Stewart said that, in additional to providing grants that were significant enough to fully fund a short film so that the recipients wouldn’t need to look elsewhere for additional financing, another important distinction of the DFF is that it is open to filmmakers who are in various stages of their careers.

“There are other grants supporting emerging filmmakers, but we thought it was important to recognize that experienced filmmakers are also in this situation,” she said. “And while they may have been successful in their home country, the fact that they are displaced often presents a barrier for professional continuation. We wanted to make an effort to eliminate some of these barriers.”

Yanai and Stewart said that while this is still just the first year that the DFF is operating, their hope is to attract additional supporters so that it can evolve into a legacy fund that awards grants each year. For the moment, the five initial recipients will premiere their films in Rotterdam next year, which the members of the committee hope will be an opportunity to attract new potential partners for the fund.

“Uniqlo would like to support the DFF for as long as possible,” Yanai said. “But we cannot solve the issue alone. We must attack it from many angles.”

The working title for Kattan’s film is “Allies in Exile,” which tells the story of two Syrian filmmakers, bound by a 14-year friendship forged in war, both of whom apply for exile in the U.K. asylum system, resulting in one being granted refuge and the other returning to a changed Syria.

“I am really thankful on behalf of all five recipients of the DFF grants, as well as on behalf of all refugees,” Kattan said. “With this platform, we can do something amazing in the future.”

The other filmmakers who received grants this year are Maryna Er Gorbach from Ukraine, Mo Harawe from Somalia, Mohammad Rasoulof from Iran, and Shahrbanoo Sadat from Afghanistan.