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The Japanese Film Festival returns to Sydney this November with a bold new program of features, thrillers, anime and cult adaptations that reflect the rich tradition and vibrant future of Japanese cinema.
Presented by The Japan Foundation, Sydney, the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) is back for its 29th year, screening from 12 November to 1 December across Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Opening the Sydney season is Kokuhō, Japan’s official submission for the 2026 Academy Awards. Directed by Lee Sang-il (Villain, Rage), this epic story follows two childhood friends raised inside the kabuki theatre tradition, tracing their bond across five decades. It stars Ryō Yoshizawa, Ryūsei Yokohama and acclaimed actor Ken Watanabe (Memoirs of a Geisha, The Last Samurai), and has already broken domestic box office records.
One of the festival’s most anticipated highlights is a trio of new works from acclaimed filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Chime is already being praised as one of the best horror films of the year, Cloud delivers a psychological thriller around the digital underworld, while Serpent’s Path offers a French-language reinterpretation of his 1998 cult classic.
Audiences can also expect a powerful lineup of literary and manga-inspired films. 6 Lying University Students transforms a corporate recruitment test into a tense psychological battle. Petals and Memories explores the emotional complexities of family, while 366 Days, based on a song by Okinawan band HY, follows two young creatives chasing love and ambition in Tokyo.
Genre fans are well served, with Showtime 7 bringing high-stakes newsroom drama, Angry Squad blending crime and comedy, and Bushido, from Kazuya Shiraishi, delivering a gripping samurai tale of honour, loss and resilience.
The anime world gets a live-action twist with Cells at Work!, a playful depiction of human biology as a cellular battleground, while The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store imagines a surreal retail world where the customers are animals, including extinct ones.
The JFF Special Series also returns to Sydney with screenings at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, offering a rare look at 1930s Japanese cinema. Expect restored masterpieces from legendary directors like Yasujirō Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi, along with a unique showcase of digitised kami eiga (“paper films”) accompanied by a live koto and cello performance by Duo YUMENO.
“From kabuki epics to cell battles, the 2025 program celebrates the diversity and daring of Japanese cinema.”
Sydney screenings run from 12 November to 1 December. For full program and tickets, visit japanesefilmfestival.net and follow @japanesefilmfest for updates.
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