Japanese Film Festival 2026
| ■ Bangkok ■ Feb 13 (Fri) – 22 (Sun) At House Samyan, 5F, Samyan Mitrtown |
■ Chiang Mai ■ Feb 27 (Fri) – Mar 1 (Sun) At Auditorium, 3F, Communication Innovation Center, Mass Communication, Chiang Mai University |
| ■ Khon Kaen ■ Feb 27 (Fri) – Mar 1 (Sun) At Maielie Khon Kaen |
■ Chiang Rai ■ Feb 28 (Sat) – Mar 1 (Sun) At Corner, 2F, Chiangrai Contemporary Art Museum |
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok, in collaboration with House Samyan, Dude, Movie, and Berng Nang Club proudly present the “Japanese Film Festival 2026 (JFF 2026)” in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Chiang Rai. Supported by the Embassy of Japan in Thailand and the Japanese Association in Thailand, JFF 2026 features 15 acclaimed films across various genres, including inspiring documentary, tearful drama, chilling thriller, renowned classics, and iconic animation.
This year, we have prepared a wide array of films from many categories. These are some of the featured films for this year’s festival.
A soul in the machine also makes it human? …
‘GHOST IN THE SHELL,’ an iconic cyberpunk animation, first released in 1995. In 2025, the film celebrates its 30th anniversary as not only a seminal Japanese animation but also a hallmark of Japanese cyberpunk and global science fiction.
Still image from ‘SEVEN SAMURAI’
©1954 TOHO CO., LTD.
Still image from ‘The 94-Year-Old Gay’
©MBS/TBS
In war there are no winners, only those who manage to survive…
KUROSAWA Akira’s 1954 classic SEVEN SAMURAI tells the tale of feudal class and warfare in ancient Japan. Awarded the Silver Lion at the 15th Venice International Film Festival in 1954 and screened as part of Cannes Classics selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, SEVEN SAMURAI is a tale for the ages where lingering divisions are as thick as blood.
To me, this is like a miracle. This is miraculous….
The story of HASE Tadashi, a gay poet, is told through this documentary film ’94–Year–Old Gay‘. Born during the time homosexuality was considered a mental disease, he kept his gay identity hidden and relied on poetry to keep his heart afloat. Discover his thoughts as we proceed with the film.
©1995 Shirow Masamune/KODANSHA・BANDAI VISUAL・MANGA ENTERTAINMENT.
All Rights Reserved.
GHOST IN THE SHELL
Dir. OSHII Mamoru
( 1995 / 90min )
In 2029, the onset of information technology and rise of sophisticated cybercrime has led to the formation of a team of elite cyborg operatives, a “Shell Squad” officially known as Public Security Section 9. Their leader, Major Motoko Kusanagi, tracks a mysterious hacker known only as the “Puppet Master” who operates in the deepest parts of cyberspace. First released in 1995 from the manga series by SHIROW Masamune, the introspective and action-packed GHOST IN THE SHELL asks what it means to be human.
©1954 TOHO CO., LTD..
SEVEN SAMURAI
Dir. KUROSAWA Akira
(1954 / 207min)
KUROSAWA Akira’s 1954 classic SEVEN SAMURAI tells the tale of feudal class and warfare in ancient Japan. A village under fire from bandits calls on seven swordsmen wandering the countryside to help rid them of marauders threatening to destroy their village. With the aid of the elder samurai SHIMADA Kanbei and six other fellow mercenaries with no status or income, the village prepares to battle the anonymous threat on horseback while battling the bitterness they keep for their hired swordsmen.
©MBS/TBS
The 94–Year–Old Gay
Dir. KIKKAWA Genki
(2024/ 90 min)
Hase has lived a life of solitude, unable to reveal to anyone for the longest time that he is gay. His only mental support was literature—writing poetry. In 1963, he won the most prestigious accolade, the Contemporary Poetry Handbook award, as a new contemporary poet. The transcendental atmosphere in his poem was highly regarded by Shuntaro Tanikawa on the selection committee, and Hase went on to be published in multiple issues. He continues to write tanka poetry at the age of 94. At the time of Hase’s birth, homosexuality was publicly regarded to be a disease. The climate around homosexuality has changed greatly since then. Hase has since also managed to come out, being supported by an understanding care manager, and continued to live his life with great resolve until one day he is met with a great surprise.
The Family Game
Dir. MORITA Yoshimitsu
( 1983 / 106min )
Widely regarded as one of Morita’s most definitive works, “The Family Game” swept the awards that season, receiving major recognition at the Japan Academy Awards, the Blue Ribbon Awards, and Kinema Junpo. Set against the backdrop of an ordinary middle-class family, the story is imbued with Morita’s satirical humor and depicts the chaos that ensues after an unconventional home tutor arrives to help their younger son prepare for his high school entrance exams. Though based on Yohei Honma’s novel of the same name, Morita’s audacious adaptation offers thought-provoking insights into future familial dynamics. One particularly famous scene shows every family member sitting on one side of the table to eat rather than around it. Yusaku Matsuda, a longtime fan of Morita’s work, delivers a standout performance as the idiosyncratic tutor.
Aside from the films above, the festival offers even more quality films such as RENOIR, selected for the main competition at the Bangkok International Film Festival in late 2025, Sham, directed by MIIKE Takashi, nominated for Best Film, Hochi Film Awards 2025, and She Taught Me Serendipity, a drama film full of appreciation to every fleeting moment in life, directed by OKU Akiko, a selected for nominee for the competition section Tokyo International Film Festival 2024.
Discover more films at the Japanese Film Festival 2026.
◆Talk Event◆
To provide the audiences with the deeper understanding of Tohoku region in the current state after the Great East Japan Earthquake along with the cinematic stories of ‘Sunset Sunrise” and “The Boy and the Dog,” we will organize a special talk entitled “Tohoku beyond the Screen – A Journey of Resilience, Regeneration and Daily Life,” led by Associate Professor Kannapa Pongponrat Chieochan, Ph. D and moderated by Ms. Pim Khajonvekin on Sunday 15 February 2026, during 18:00 -19:00 at the Living Area, House Samyan.
Associate Professor. KANNAPA PONGPONRAT CHIEOCHAN, PhD
Kannapa Pongponrat Chieochan is Associate Professor in Sociology. She received B.A. in International Affair, Political Science from Thammasat University and M.A. in Development Administrative, Political Science from Western Michigan University. She received Ph.D. in Regional and Rural Development Planning from Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. She works on various issues related to participatory planning and development for sustainability, sustainable tourism, social development, social innovation, and sociology in disaster. Kannapa was an awardee of Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship Program (Short – Term) during 2024-2025 and was hosted by International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University during her fellowship term. Currently, she is a Director of Service Innovation Program at College of Innovation, Thammasat University. Besides her professional career, Kannapa is an author of national awards from her published books.
Pimkhajon
Pimkhajon is a former Thai Japanese-style idol and a member of SWEAT16 under Yoshimoto Entertainment Thailand. Currently, she works as a lifestyle influencer and master of ceremonies (MC), with a strong focus on Japanese culture and everyday life in Japan. In 2024, she was awarded “Influencer in Japanese Lifestyle 2024” by the Embassy of Japan in Thailand in collaboration with Nippon Haku Bangkok. Pimkhajon holds a Bachelor’s degree from Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology. At the graduate level, she joined an exchange program supported by JASSO at Tohoku University. During this period, she created content focused on daily life in Sendai and collaborated with the tourism promotion page “Travel Japan, Travel Sendai,” a platform dedicated to Japanese tourism and lifestyle.
FILM LINE-UP
Some films are screened only in selected cities. Please see the screening schedule for details.
All films have both English and Thai subtitle, except for ‘Kamome Diner’ which only has Thai subtitle.
| Title | Director | Release | min |
| ANGRY SQUAD: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers | UEDA Shinichiro | 2024 | 120 |
| THE BOY AND THE DOG | ZEZE Takahisa | 2025 | 128 |
| PETALS AND MEMORIES | MAEDA Tetsu | 2025 | 118 |
| GHOST IN THE SHELL | OSHII Mamoru | 1995 | 90 |
| SEVEN SAMURAI | KUROSAWA Akira | 1954 | 207 |
| Sunset Sunrise | KISHI Yoshiyuki | 2025 | 139 |
| She Taught Me Serendipity | OHKU Akiko | 2025 | 127 |
| A Conviction of Marriage | TSUTSUMI Yukihiko | 2024 | 120 |
| The Family Game | MORITA Yoshimitsu | 1983 | 106 |
| The 94-Years-Old Gay | KIKKAWA Genki | 2024 | 90 |
| How Dare You? | O Mipo | 2025 | 96 |
| RENOIR | HAYAKAWA Chie | 2025 | 122 |
| Sham | MIIKE Takashi | 2025 | 130 |
| Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy | HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke | 2021 | 121 |
| Kamome Diner | OGIGAMI Naoko | 2006 | 102 |
Screening Schedule
Those who helped answer the questionnaire after watching our film will receive festival souvenirs!
*While supplies last.
| ■ Bangkok ■ | |
| Ticket fee |
160 THB – General Audience |
| Ticket purchase* | 1. Box office at House Samyan 2. Online ticketing at: www.housesamyan.com |
| ■ Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen ■ | |
| Ticket fee | Free of Charge |
| Ticket purchase* | Reserve your seats through https://linktr.ee/jfacdept * Available for pre-registration from February 17 |
| Please visit the following links for more updates: Website / Facebook / Instagram Contact Information The Japan Foundation, Bangkok – Tel: +66-2-260-8560~3/ Email: acdept_jfbkk@jpf.go.jp |
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