Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai) Graduate School of Film and New Media

Overview

Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo Geidai) is Japan's premier public arts university, with institutional roots dating back to 1887. The Graduate School of Film and New Media, established in the mid-2000s, is Japan's leading graduate-level film education program. It offers MA degrees in Film Production, Animation, and New Media (including Game and Interactive Art), plus a PhD in Film and New Media Studies. The program is organized into three departments for the master's degree and a doctoral program, reflecting the fluid and expanding nature of filmic expression.

Annual tuition for the master's program is JPY 642,960 (approximately $4,300 USD at current exchange rates), with a one-time entrance fee of JPY 338,400. Total first-year cost including entrance fees, insurance, and campus environment fees is approximately JPY 1,033,790 (approximately $6,900 USD). The Film Production department charges a one-time practice fee of JPY 80,000 for the duration of the MA program, plus a JPY 20,000 alumni association fee. The Animation department charges JPY 50,000 for the practice fee. As a national university, Geidai's tuition is a fraction of what private Japanese film schools or US graduate programs charge.

Students who want graduate-level film training at Japan's most recognized arts university, with access to working Japanese filmmakers as faculty and cross-disciplinary collaboration with animators, composers, and visual artists, at public university tuition rates, should consider Geidai. Students who do not speak Japanese should verify language requirements, as most programs require Japanese proficiency for admission and coursework.

Programs Offered

The Graduate School of Film and New Media offers the following degrees:

Master's Programs (MA):

• Film Production - directing, screenwriting, and production for live-action narrative and documentary film. Students complete a thesis film project. The degree conferred is Master (Film).
• Animation - animated filmmaking covering Japanese and international animation traditions, including 2D, 3D, and experimental animation.
• New Media - digital storytelling, interactive media, and emerging technologies. A separate Game and Interactive Art specialization is also available, with its own application process.
• Film and New Media Studies - scholarly research in cinema and media theory

Doctoral Program (PhD):

• PhD in Film and New Media Studies - doctoral research in cinema, media theory, and new media. The degree conferred is Doctor (Film and New Media).

The program structure explicitly rejects rigid disciplinary boundaries. The graduate school's own outline states that "it makes little sense to question whether a documentary should use live-action footage or animation. Both approaches are valid." Students are encouraged to work across live-action film, media art, and animation, contributing to stage performances, game productions, and virtual reality projects.

Tuition and Fees

Geidai is a national university, and tuition is set by the Japanese government:

Tuition is paid in two installments of JPY 321,480 per semester. Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship recipients are exempt from the entrance fee and tuition. Students who advance directly from the master's program to the doctoral program at Geidai are also exempt from the entrance fee.

Detailed fee information is available on the Geidai tuition page. The 2026 application guide for the master's and doctoral programs is available on the Geidai admissions site.

Faculty

The Graduate School of Film and New Media has attracted some of Japan's most recognized filmmakers as faculty:

• Kiyoshi Kurosawa - Director of Cure (1997), Tokyo Sonata (2008), Wife of a Spy (2020). Kurosawa taught at Geidai until 2023. He won the Silver Lion (Best Director) at the 77th Venice International Film Festival for Wife of a Spy, which was co-written with Geidai alumni Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Ichi Nohara. His conversation with Hamaguchi about Cure is featured on the Criterion Channel.
• Takeshi Kitano - Director of Sonatine (1993), Hana-bi (1997), and Zatoichi (2003). Kitano served as an instructor in the early 2000s.
• Current faculty include producers who have worked on films by Hirokazu Koreeda (Monster), Ryosuke Hashiguchi (Hush!, All Around Us), and other established Japanese directors.

The presence of working filmmakers in the classroom gives students direct access to the highest levels of Japanese filmmaking craft. The teacher-student relationship at Geidai has produced notable creative collaborations, including the Kurosawa-Hamaguchi-Nohara writing team on Wife of a Spy.

Notable Alumni

• Ryusuke Hamaguchi - Director of Drive My Car (2021), which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and the Cannes Best Screenplay award. Also directed Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021), which won the Silver Bear at Berlin. Drive My Car was the first Japanese film to win the Oscar for Best International Feature since Departures (2008). Hamaguchi's thesis film at Geidai was Passion (2008), made under the supervision of Kiyoshi Kurosawa. He has cited Kurosawa's approach to violence as a direct influence on his work.
• Ichi Nohara - Producer and collaborator with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Ryusuke Hamaguchi on Wife of a Spy. Part of the creative trio described in Japanese film press as the "golden trio" of teacher and students.

The program continues to produce filmmakers who are active in Japanese and international cinema, with alumni working across directing, producing, animation, and new media art.

What Students Should Know

Geidai's film program teaches primarily in Japanese. Japanese language proficiency is required for most programs. International students with Japanese language skills are welcome, and the school's reputation attracts applicants from across Asia and beyond. The 2026 application guide for the master's and doctoral programs was released in October 2025, with the English version available on the admissions website.

The program is small and selective. Graduate admissions are competitive, and the school values artistic vision and intellectual depth alongside technical skill. The intimate learning environment means students work closely with faculty mentors, but it also means the program cannot accommodate large cohorts.

Geidai's location in Tokyo places students at the center of Japan's film, animation, and media industries. The city's density of studios, production companies, and cultural institutions provides professional opportunities. However, Tokyo's cost of living is high. Students should budget approximately JPY 150,000 to 200,000 per month ($1,000 to $1,350 USD) for housing, food, and transportation, though university housing may be available at lower rates.

The Graduate School of Film and New Media is a graduate-only program. There is no undergraduate film degree at Geidai. Students seeking undergraduate film education in Japan should consider other institutions, though Geidai's broader university includes undergraduate programs in fine arts, music, and traditional Japanese arts that feed into the graduate film program.

See Also

For understanding Japanese cinema and its global influence, see International Film Markets. To explore animation and frame rate fundamentals, use the Frame Rate Calculator. For planning a thesis film production schedule, use the Post-Production Timeline Calculator.