The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme returns in February with the UK's biggest annual showcase of Japanese cinema, guided by the theme Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self in Japanese Cinema. The season explores how identity is formed, questioned and reshaped, taking inspiration from classics such as Akira Kurosawa's “Rashomon”, where truth and self-perception constantly collide.
Across the programme, films reflect the fragile, subjective nature of the self and the ways we understand one another. The selection spans social drama, comedy, sci-fi and horror, as well as timeless classics and recent releases. Highlights range from “A Bad Summer” and “Angry Squad” to “Missing Child Videotape”, “Petals and Memories”, and “Conflagration”. The line-up is crowned by a new film from Takashi Miike, ensuring a varied and unforgettable cinematic journey.
JFTFP26 will be touring the country from early February to late March, with its visit to London spread across two sites. From 6 to 15 February, it will be hosted at the ICA, then from 18 to 27 February at Riverside Studios.
You can find out more about the festival and book tickets here.