Japanese Film Festival


The Japanese Film Festival is a film festival held in Singapore and dedicated to Japanese cinema. It was held annually from 1999 to 2016, and curated with Singapore audiences in mind, led by local programmers with a wide ranging programme of film classics, Japanese independents and commercial releases. There was no festival in 2017. Under new direction from 2018 from the Japan Foundation in Tokyo, it has shifted its focus to screening mainly commercial releases from Japan.

2014 (26 June to 12 July)

The Japanese Film Festival was held from 26 June to 12 July at the National Museum of Singapore.

Film programme

Currents
Retrospective
The Japanese Film Festival was held from 26 June to 8 July at the Alliance Francaise and the National Museum of Singapore. There will be a focus on films from the 80s as well as a retrospective on Shindo Kaneto and Yoshimura Kozaburo, in addition to a showcase of the best in Japanese current films.

Festival highlights (Inspire)

Film programme

Around the 80s
Retrospective
Currents
Undercurrents
The Japanese Film Festival was held from 2 to 8 July at the National Museum of Singapore. Besides showcasing the best of current Japanese films, one segment of the festival focused on documentaries examining the undercurrents and post-trauma effects of the tsunami in Japan in March 2011, while another segment focused on the celebration of the Nikkatsu Centennial.

Festival highlights (Action)

Film programme

Tsunami Documentaries
Nikkatsu Centennial - Celebrating 100 Years of Nikkatsu Studio
Japanese Currents
The Japanese Film Festival was held from 2 to 10 July at the National Museum of Singapore. The festival theme was Journey.

Festival highlights (Journey)

Opening Film:
Closing Film:
Director in attendance:
Tribute to Takamine Hideko / 高峰 秀子
Focus on Gosho Heinosuke / 五所　平之助
Focus on Kumakiri Kazuyoshi / 熊切 和嘉
Japanese Currents
Others
In 2010, the Japanese Film Festival was held from 19 to 29 August at the National Museum of Singapore. The festival theme was Youth.

Festival Highlights (Youth)

Opening Film:
Closing Film:
Director in focus: Ōshima Nagisa / 大島 渚
Director in attendance:
Focus on Japanese New Wave and Oshima Nagisa
Focus on PIA Film Festival
Directions – Focus on NDJC 2007
Directions – Focus on NDJC 2008
Japanese Currents
The Japanese Film Festival 2009 was a showcase of some of the finest in Japanese horror, mystery and supernatural cinema that year. The festival was held from 25 to 30 August at the National Museum of Singapore.

Festival Highlights (Horror)

Audience Award:
In 2008, the Japanese Film Festival was held from 22 to 31 August 2008 at the National Museum of Singapore, and was a pre-event of the Japan Creative Centre, which was launched in mid November 2009. The festival theme focused on femininity in Japanese Cinema, as exemplified by the festival theme: "Jyo-yuu". The festival showcased works by Master director Naruse Mikio and acclaimed actress-director Tanaka Kinuyo. Works of award-winning young director Kawase Naomi and two other independent directors of the current indie movement Matsuoka Naomi and Matsue Tetsuaki were also featured.

Festival highlights ("Jyo-yuu" 女優)

Director in focus: Naruse Mikio / 成瀬 巳喜男
Directors in attendance:
Free-Admission Component
Paid Screenings Component
The 2007 festival theme was True. Romance and the festival was held at the National Museum of Singapore.

Festival Highlights (True.Romance)

Director in focus: Imamura Shohei / 今村 昌平
Director in attendance:
Actress in attendance:
Imamura Shohei Retrospective
Ichikawa Jun Showcase
Other films
Friendship was the theme of the 2006 Japanese Film Festival.

Festival Highlights (Friendship)

Director in focus Kitano Takeshi / 北野 武
Director in attendance:
Kitano Takeshi Retrospective
Ogigami Naoko Showcase
Other films
Adaptations was the theme of the 2005 Japanese Film Festival.

Festival Highlights (Adaptations)

Directors in focus:
Nomura Yoshitaro Retrospective
Ichikawa Kon Retrospective
Other films
Tokyo Stories was the theme of the 2004 Japanese Film Festival.

Festival Highlights (Tokyo Stories)

Directors in focus:
Yamada Yoji Retrospective
Ichikawa Jun Retrospective
Other films

Festival highlights (Commemoration - Ozu Yasujiro)

Director in focus: Fukasaku Kinji / 深作 欣二
Commemoration: 100th birthday and 40th death anniversary of Ozu Yasujiro / 小津 安二郎

Film programme

Fukasaku Kinji Retrospective
Ozu Yasujiro
Other films

Film programme

Festival highlights (Kurosawa Retrospective)

Director in focus: Kurosawa Akira / 黒澤 明

Film programme

Kurosawa Retrospective
Other films

Festival highlights (Mizoguchi Retrospective)

Director in focus: Mizoguchi Kenji / 溝口 健二

Film programme

Mizoguchi Retrospective
Other films

Film programme

About the Festival