Manchevski's Sister Brother Manhole Cover captivated the festival jury with its compelling narrative exploring fraternal and maternal love set against the backdrop of societal margins. This marks the director's first feature film since Kaymak, which also competed at TIFF in 2022, underscoring his consistent presence and recognition within the international festival circuit. The Grand Prix honor comes with the Governor of Tokyo Award, a substantial prize of $19,000 (3 million yen).

While Manchevski himself had departed Tokyo prior to the awards ceremony, he conveyed his gratitude via a video message. Accepting the coveted award on his behalf were the film's lead actors, Sara Klimoska and Filip Trajkovikj, alongside producer Kortoshev, highlighting the collaborative spirit behind the acclaimed production.

The festival, which ran for ten days and showcased 204 films, celebrated a diverse array of cinematic talent. Other significant accolades included the Best Director award, presented to Argentina's Lisandro Alonso for his work on Double Freedom. The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Sun Xun's Magic Atlas, a remarkable animated feature that took over a decade to complete and made history as the first animation selected for TIFF's main competition.

Performance honors went to Hu Ling for Best Actress in the France-Hong Kong co-production The Night That Binds Us, while Japan secured its sole win with Narita Ryo taking home Best Actor for his role in Two Cigarettes, Three Nights. The audience also had their say, bestowing the Audience Award upon Teodora Ana Mihai for Heysel 85, a film set against the tragic 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster. In the Asian Future competition, which champions emerging regional filmmakers, Afghani director Tareq Daoud's Serife Tavsan was recognized with a $6,325 (1 million yen) cash prize.

The 39th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival saw a slight increase in attendance from the previous year, drawing over 69,000 people to screenings across the vibrant Hibiya-Marunouchi-Yurakucho-Ginza area. The jury, led by Australian filmmaker Rolf de Heer, alongside producers Alex Lo and Oh Jungwan, actor Watanabe Makiko, and colorist Yov Moor, played a pivotal role in identifying and celebrating the year's standout cinematic achievements.