Presented by the Japanese Foundation and marking its 30th edition, this year’s Japanese Film festival in Canberra (7-13 October) is showcasing the best of contemporary Japanese cinema, anime and classics, with a program to suit all tastes. Highlights include the opening-night with Hirokazu Koreeda’s Look Back; Tokyo Taxi, directed by Yoji Yamada; Kohei Kadowaki’s Cannes-premiering directorial debut, We Are Aliens; and two of Japanese’s biggest 2025 box office successes, the romantic fantasy film, 1st Kiss and the tense crime thriller, Suzuki-Bakudan. This year’s festival coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Australia-Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, and brings multiple generations of Japanese filmmaking together. Venues: Palace Electric, 2 Phillip Law Street, Acton, Canberra ACT, box office open 11am-8pm (02) 6222 4900; and National Film and Sound Archive, McCoy Circuit, Acton ACT, box office open 10am-4pm Saturday and Sunday (02) 6248 2000. Program details www.https://jffau.jpf.go.jp/
