The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) typically offers a smorgasbord for movie fans to dig into, but for director Keisuke Yoshida, his experience this year was a bit of a bust.

“When I looked online, most of the screenings had sold out,” he says, speaking a few days before the end of the event on Nov. 8, where he was being honored as Director in Focus. “I only found out yesterday that you could watch things if you had a guest pass.”

He’s disappointed to have missed “Payback,” a scuzzy crime drama by Filipino director Brillante Ma Mendoza, which was playing in the main competition.