The Japanese Film Festival (JFF) has been held annually since 2016 under the slogan ‘Japanese cinema anywhere, anytime’. The festival has decided to hold additional events in Mexico, Peru, Spain and Germany as part of the ‘Special World Tour 2024′. In Germany, a guest related to the films screened will also be invited.

The dates and guests for each country are listed below. If you live in the host country/city, please invite your family and friends along!

*For more information on screening schedules and events, please check the official social media in your country.

1. Mexico (8 February – 16 March)
Mexico City, Puebla, Querétaro
Facebook, Instagram
　
2. Peru (21 February – 2 March *tentative)
Lima
Facebook, Instagram

3. Spain (20-25 February)
Madrid, Barcelona
Facebook, X, Instagram

4. Germany
Hamburg (14 February-10 March), Berlin (26 February, 4 March) Cologne (2-9 March)
Facebook, Instagram
In all cities, Keisuke Yoshida, director of BLUE (2021) and INTOLERANCE (2021), will appear as guests.

Other countries where events have already been announced include:

5. Thailand
Bangkok (30 January-18 February), Chiang Mai (9 -11 February), Khon Kaen (9-25 February), Songkhla (23-25 February)
Facebook

6. The Philippines
Manila (1 -11 February / 22 February-2 March), Baguio (8-18 February), Iloilo (16-25 February), Cebu (16-25 February), Davao (23 February-3 March)
Official website

7．Laos (9 – 18 February)
Vientiane
Facebook

With the spread of video streaming services and the increase in the number of people enjoying Japanese anime in Japan and abroad, “anime pilgrimages” to visit the real life locations of works are also attracting attention.

The article interviews Otaku In Tokyo, a TikTok and Instagram-based influencer that introduces anime pilgrimage spots. In addition to the appeal of pilgrimages to sacred places, we asked them to recommend anime film titles and their sacred places, from Ghibli to Evangelion.

URL：https://jff.jpf.go.jp/read/interview/otakuintokyo/

In 2023, Japanese films had achievements at international film festivals in many countries, including Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, which won the Best Screenplay award and the Queer Palm at the Cannes International Film Festival, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, which won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival.

So how did film professionals from the world such as critics and film festival programmers view Japanese cinema in 2023? We asked seven people who know Japanese cinema well to name five films each, including those that have won awards at international film festivals and those that have moved them.

URL：https://jff.jpf.go.jp/read/column/2023_japanese_movies/

The film Golden Kamuy, a live-action adaptation of Satoru Noda’s manga, was released in Japan on January 19. This article discusses the synopsis and highlights of this survival film about gold nuggets.

URL：https://jff.jpf.go.jp/read/news/goldenkamuy/

A digest version of the MINI THEATER JOURNEY videos, which introduces 10 independent cinema ‘mini-theatres’ around Japan,are available on YouTube and social media, so be sure to watch them along with the full version.

Motomachi Movie Theater (Hyogo)：”Cinema created by everyone”
Cinema Onomichi (Hiroshima): ”Cinema loved by cineasts”

About JFF+
JFF+ is a website run by the Japan Foundation aiming to spread Japanese films overseas.

“JFF (Japanese Film Festival)” was first held in 2016 in ASEAN countries and Australia, and expanded its area to China and India in 2017, and to Russia in 2018. We are delighted to announce that we have updated the website known as “JFF Magazine” to “JFF+”, where the online film festival is held.

We are also sharing the attraction of Japanese films in ‘Read’ and ‘Join’ sections, so stay tuned for more information!