Japanese Film Festival 2026 to Celebrate 60 Years of Singapore-Japan Relations

Singapore

Japanese Film Festival 2026 to Celebrate 60 Years of Singapore-Japan Relations: The Japanese Film Festival 2026 will return to Singapore from October 1 to 11, bringing Japanese cinema to audiences at Shaw Lido as part of the SJ60 Edition, which will commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan.

The festival, Singapore’s longest-running Japanese film festival, will feature 39 screenings across 18 days, with the main programme running through October 11 and an extended programme by Filmhouse and the Asian Film Archive continuing until October 18.

The festival will open with Japanese director ITO Tomohiko’s The Keeper of the Camphor Tree on October 1 and conclude on October 11 with KUROSAWA Akira’s Throne of Blood, starring MIFUNE Toshiro, Yamada Isuzu and Shimura Takashi.

A major feature of this year’s festival will be the appointment of acclaimed Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo as the first Festival Ambassador in JFF Singapore’s history. The festival will screen three of his films—Tatsumi, Ramen Teh and Spirit World—as part of a dedicated Spotlight.

Khoo’s association with Japanese cinema stretches across several projects. His Tatsumi paid tribute to Japanese Gekiga master Yoshihiro Tatsumi, while Ramen Teh was a Singapore-Japan-France co-production made to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. His 2024 film Spirit World, starring Catherine Deneuve, closed the Busan International Film Festival.

The 2026 programme will be divided into four main sections—Spotlight on Eric Khoo, Panorama, Animation and Classics in 4K. Among the featured films will be Bring Him Down to a Portable Size, Never After Dark, THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE, PUREHEARTED, The Samurai and the Prisoner, You Are the Film and SUZUKI=BAKUDAN.

The animation programme will include HIROTA Yusuke’s Chimney Town: Frozen in Time, which received its world premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival and was also screened at Annecy in 2026.

The Classics in 4K programme will feature LEE Sang-il’s HULA GIRLS and SUO Masayuki’s Shall We Dance?. HULA GIRLS won four major awards at the 30th Japan Academy Awards and was Japan’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 79th Academy Awards.

Another highlight will be HEAVENS: The Boy and His Robot (Anime All-Stars Japanese Voice Edition), which will return to Singapore as a “Coming Home Soon” screening. The Singaporean production took 13 years to make and became the first foreign film from Singapore to receive two theatrical releases in Japan.

The festival will also introduce a Mystery Screening on October 11 at 1 p.m. at Shaw Lido. The title will remain secret until the audience is in the cinema, with the film scheduled to be presented in 35mm.

Meanwhile, Love Letter 4K became the festival’s first sold-out screening, with tickets selling out within a week of going on sale. Additional screenings will be offered at Filmhouse at a later date.

The festival will also feature a series of filmmaker and programme-related Q&A sessions. ITO Tomohiko will attend in-person sessions following The Keeper of the Camphor Tree on October 2, while October 4 will feature Q&As for Performing Kaoru’s Funeral and HEAVENS: The Boy and His Robot. An online Q&A for THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE is scheduled for October 6.

The festival’s SJ60 Edition will place particular emphasis on the cultural relationship between Singapore and Japan. Its programme will include Japanese filmmakers working in Singapore, Singaporean filmmakers working in Japanese, Singapore-Japan co-productions and restored films that connect new audiences with earlier generations of Japanese cinema.

The festival’s artwork draws inspiration from Kintsugi, the traditional Japanese art of highlighting repaired ceramic joins with gold lacquer. The golden lines represent connection and continuity between Singapore and Japan during the 60th anniversary year.

His Excellency Hiroshi Ishikawa, Ambassador of Japan to Singapore, said the festival carried special significance during the SJ60 celebrations and highlighted the longstanding appreciation of Japanese cinema among Singaporean audiences.

The Japanese Film Festival will be co-organised by the Singapore Film Society, Japan Creative Centre and The Japan Foundation, with sponsorship from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry Singapore Foundation. Shaw Theatres will serve as Official Venue Partner, while the Asian Film Archive, Filmhouse and NUS Department of Japanese Studies will serve as Programme Partners. Japan Airlines and Centro Singapore will serve as Official Airline and Hospitality Partners respectively.

Festival Information

With its combination of contemporary Japanese films, animation, classic cinema, 4K restorations, Singapore-Japan productions and special events, the Japanese Film Festival 2026 will serve as a major cinematic programme during Singapore and Japan’s 60th anniversary year.