Academy CEO Bill Kramer to Head to Tokyo for Leadership Award and Onstage Summit With Toho Boss Matsuoka Hiro — SkimNews
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- Bill Kramer makes his first trip to Asia as Academy CEO later this month, collecting TIFF's Global Cinema Leadership Special Award after a 90-minute public panel on Oct. 28 at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya Hall.
- The Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct. 26–Nov. 4) built an "Academy in Tokyo" program around the visit, featuring Kramer alongside Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor and chief membership, impact and industry officer Meredith Shea.
- Kramer returns Oct. 29 to share the stage with Toho president and CEO Matsuoka Hiro for a free public conversation on the global film landscape, theatrical and streaming distribution, and cross-border partnerships.
- Toho's Matsuoka oversaw the company's overseas acquisitions of Gkids and Anime Limited, produced Oscar winner "Godzilla Minus One," and in 2025 helped Toho post its best-ever Japanese box office results; he also sits on the Academy Museum board of trustees.
- The Academy will host a private reception the same evening for members from across the globe, while TIFFCOM, the content market running alongside the festival, takes place Oct. 28–30.
Why it matters: Three top Academy executives are heading to Tokyo on Kramer's first Asia trip as CEO, the most visible step yet in the organization's push to internationalize its 11,000-strong membership. Pairing the award with Toho's Matsuoka — whose studio posted record 2025 Japanese box office and produced 'Godzilla Minus One' — places the Oscars group alongside the most commercially ascendant non-Hollywood market right now.
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