The UK’s largest Japanese film festival is back. The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 runs from 6 February to 31 March, screening 26 films at 34 cinemas nationwide.
This year’s theme is “Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self in Japanese Cinema” — exploring identity, self-deception, and how we present ourselves to others. Timely stuff in the age of social media.
Films to Watch
Blue Boy Trial / ブルーボーイ事件
Director: Iizuka Kasho / 106 min / Q&A sessions available
In 1965, a transgender woman named Sachi is forced to testify in court about her gender-affirming surgery. Set in an era before the word “LGBT” existed, this true-story drama asks what it means to live as your authentic self. A standout at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
The Hotel of My Dream / 私にふさわしいホテル
Director: Tsutsumi Yukihiko / Starring: Non / Based on novel by Yuzuki Asako
From the author of the UK bestseller Butter. A young novelist wins an award but gets crushed by a famous critic before she can debut. She plots revenge. Set in 1980s literary Tokyo, it’s satirical and fun.
Strangers in Kyoto / ぶぶ漬けどうどす
Director: Tominaga Masanori / 96 min / UK Premiere
A Tokyo writer marries into a traditional Kyoto family and tries to write about the city’s culture. Problem: she doesn’t understand Kyoto’s unspoken rules of honne (true feelings) and tatemae (public face). Comedy ensues.
Pick by Cast
Not familiar with Japanese cinema? Choose by cast and you can’t go wrong.
Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality / 八犬伝
Director: Sori Fumihiko / 149 min
Cast: Yakusho Koji, Uchino Masaaki, Tsuchiya Tao, Kuroki Haru, Isomura Hayato, Terajima Shinobu, Kuriyama Chiaki, Watanabe Keisuke, Itagaki Rihito, Mizukami Kosshi
Yakusho Koji — Cannes Best Actor winner — leads this epic. It interweaves the true story of author Takizawa Bakin, who spent 28 years writing the classic “Hakkenden,” with action sequences from the story itself. Nominated for Japan Academy Awards.
The Real You / 本心
Director: Ishii Yuya / 122 min
Cast: Ikematsu Sosuke, Tanaka Yuko, Tsumabuki Satoshi, Ayano Go, Nakano Taiga, Mizukami Kosshi, Miyoshi Ayaka
From the director of “The Great Passage” and novelist Hirano Keiichiro. A son uses AI to resurrect his mother who chose “voluntary death” — trying to understand her true feelings. A near-future human mystery with Japan’s top actors.
Sham / でっちあげ ～殺人教師と呼ばれた男
Director: Miike Takashi / 129 min
Cast: Ayano Go, Shibasaki Ko, Kamenashi Kazuya, Kimura Fumino, Kobayashi Kaoru, Kitamura Kazuki
Ayano Go plays an elementary school teacher falsely accused of abuse. Based on a true story that shocked Japan — a media frenzy, a lawsuit, and a life destroyed. Miike Takashi’s most grounded work in years.
Full Film List (All 26 Films)
| Japanese Title | English Title | Director | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私にふさわしいホテル | The Hotel of My Dream | Tsutsumi Yukihiko | 2024 |
| 八犬伝 | Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality | Sori Fumihiko | 2024 |
| 死に損なった男 | The Man Who Failed to Die | Tanaka Seiji | 2024 |
| どうすればよかったか？ | What Should We Have Done? | Fujino Tomoaki | 2024 |
| 盤上の向日葵 | The Final Piece | Kumazawa Naoto | 2025 |
| 今日の空が一番好き、とまだ言えない僕は | She Taught Me Serendipity | Oku Hiroya | 2025 |
| ゴーストキラー | Ghost Killer | Sonomura Kensuke | 2024 |
| 徒花-ADABANA- | Adabana | Kai Sayaka | 2024 |
| ぶぶ漬けどうどす | Strangers in Kyoto | Tominaga Masanori | 2025 |
| 花まんま | Petals and Memories | Maeda Tetsu | 2025 |
| 裏アカ | Ura Aka: L’Aventure | Kato Takuya | 2020 |
| 敵 | Teki Cometh | Yoshida Daihachi | 2023 |
| 炎上 | Conflagration | Ichikawa Kon | 1958 |
| ブルーボーイ事件 | Blue Boy Trial | Iizuka Kasho | 2025 |
| 金子差入店 | Kaneko’s Commissary | Furukawa Go | 2025 |
| 本心 | The Real You | Ishii Yuya | 2024 |
| 海の沈黙 | Silence of the Sea | Wakamatsu Setsuro | 2024 |
| 愛されなくても別に | Love Doesn’t Matter to Me | Igashi Aya | 2025 |
| でっちあげ ～殺人教師と呼ばれた男 | Sham | Miike Takashi | 2025 |
| ホウセンカ | The Last Blossom | Kinoshita Baku | 2025 |
| 阿修羅のごとく | Like Asura | Morita Yoshimitsu | 2003 |
| そばかす | I Am What I Am | Tamada Shinya | 2022 |
| アングリースクワッド 公務員と7人の詐欺師 | ANGRY SQUAD | Ueda Shinichiro | 2024 |
| 悪い夏 | A Bad Summer | Jojo Hideo | 2025 |
| ミッシング・チャイルド・ビデオテープ | Missing Child Videotape | Kondo Ryota | 2024 |
| ネムルバカ | NEMURUBAKA: Hypnic Jerks | Sakamoto Yugo | 2025 |
Directors Q&A Sessions
Three filmmakers are visiting the UK for exclusive Q&A sessions:
Iizuka Kasho (Blue Boy Trial)
- 12 Feb: HOME, Manchester
- 13 Feb: ICA, London
- 14 Feb: Chapter, Cardiff
Yoshida Daihachi (Teki Cometh)
- 14 Feb: ICA, London
- 15 Feb: QUAD, Derby
- 16 Feb: Showroom, Sheffield
- 17 Feb: Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford
Kai Sayaka (Adabana)
- 25 Feb: Storyhouse, Chester
- 26 Feb: Riverside Studios, London
- 27 Feb: Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast
- 3 Mar: Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds
Where to Watch
The programme tours 34 venues across the UK:
London
- Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA): 6–15 February
- Riverside Studios: late February
Manchester & Greater Manchester
- HOME: 12 February – 10 March
- New venues in Altrincham and Leigh (first time!)
Other Cities
- Cardiff: Chapter
- Derby: QUAD
- Sheffield: Showroom
- Oxford: Ultimate Picture Palace
- Chester: Storyhouse
- Belfast: Queen’s Film Theatre
- Leeds: Hyde Park Picture House
- Newcastle: Tyneside Cinema
- From Plymouth to Orkney and everywhere in between
Tickets and Info
Tickets available through each venue’s website. Some cinemas offer multi-buy discounts.
Full programme and screening times: jpf-film.org.uk
Why This Matters
Japanese cinema doesn’t always get wide UK distribution. The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme is often the only chance to see these films on a big screen — especially titles that don’t get picked up by mainstream distributors.
Now in its 23rd year, the festival has grown from a niche event to the UK’s largest celebration of Japanese film.
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Written by Ayaka Uchida – CEO of A-Digital Works, founder of Nihon GO! World.