Japanese Film Festival 2026: Australian Dates, Venues and Program Highlights

Japanese Film Festival celebrates 30 years in Australia

The Japanese Film Festival (JFF) returns for its 30th year in 2026, taking Japanese cinema to five Australian capitals across a season stretching from late September until December.

Presented by The Japan Foundation, Sydney, the festival began in Australia in 1997 with just three free screenings. It has since developed into a major annual showcase encompassing contemporary releases, archival cinema and films arriving after appearances at leading international festivals.

The 2026 anniversary comes in the same year Australia and Japan mark 50 years since the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation in 1976.

Japanese Film Festival 2026 program

Opening the festival is the Australian premiere of Look Back, Hirokazu Kore-eda's live-action adaptation of the one-shot manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, creator of Chainsaw Man. The film has its world premiere in competition at the 2026 Venice Film Festival before screening in Australia.

The wider program reaches across several generations of Japanese filmmakers. Veteran director Yoji Yamada returns with Tokyo Taxi, while Kiyoshi Kurosawa makes his first period film with The Samurai and the Prisoner, adapted from Honobu Yonezawa's Naoki Prize-winning novel.

K?hei Kadowaki's animated directorial debut We Are Aliens arrives after premiering in Directors' Fortnight at Cannes and competing at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Other selections include AnyMart, winner of the FIPRESCI Jury Prize at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival; Takashi Miike's SHAM; and romantic drama 1st Kiss, written by Cannes-winning screenwriter Y?ji Sakamoto.

Animation receives a dedicated showcase spanning different techniques and styles, with titles including Chimney Town: Frozen in Time, ChaO, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, We Are Aliens and stop-motion feature JUNK WORLD.

2026 Program

Toru Takemitsu retrospective

The festival's free Special Series marks 30 years since the death of Toru Takemitsu, the influential Japanese composer whose work encompassed more than 100 films across four decades.

Between Sound and Silence: The Cinematic Resonance of Toru Takemitsu examines his collaborations with filmmakers including Masahiro Shinoda, Hiroshi Teshigahara, Masaki Kobayashi, Nagisa Oshima and Akira Kurosawa.

The retrospective includes landmark works such as Harakiri, Woman in the Dunes, Kwaidan, Ran, The Ceremony, Pale Flower and Silence, with screenings ranging from archival 16mm and 35mm prints to 4K restorations. The Special Series runs in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with screenings free of charge.

Japanese Film Festival 2026 dates and venues

The national season begins in Canberra from 26 September to 13 October at Palace Electric and the National Film and Sound Archive.

Perth follows from 13 to 21 October at Palace Raine Square, before the festival reaches Melbourne from 29 October to 17 November at The Kino and ACMI.

Brisbane hosts the longest season, running from 12 November to 20 December at Palace Barracks and the Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art.

Sydney screenings run from 17 to 29 November at Palace Norton Street in Leichhardt, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central in Chippendale and the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne.

Tickets went on sale on 2 September. General admission is $25 in Canberra, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, with concession, member and group discounts available. Brisbane general admission is $20.50. The Toru Takemitsu Special Series is free.