JFF returns to Light House for the 2026 season
The Japanese Film Festival Ireland returns for its 17th edition this April, bringing a selection of new and classic Japanese films to screens across Ireland.
This year’s line-up in Dublin will include 13 films screening in Light House Cinema between April 9th and 16th, as well as a special free screening in Chester Beatty Library on April 8th. JFF screenings will also be taking place in Cork, Limerick, Louth, Wicklow, Galway, Sligo, Mayo, Waterford and Wexford.
This year’s Dublin line-up includes everything from acclaimed festival favourites to familiar classics to exciting genre films. Fresh from its extraordinary success at the Japanese Academy Film Prize ceremony in Tokyo - where it won ten awards, including Best Film - the epic kabuki theatre drama Kokuho will screen in Light House on April 12th.
Other acclaimed recent dramas will receive their Irish premieres during the festival. Mipo O’s How Dare You? is a delightful comedy-drama about three young school children who push back against adults’ indifference to the climate crisis. Tokyo Taxi is the crowd-pleasing new film from veteran filmmaker Yoji Yamada. A remake of the French film Driving Madeleine, Tokyo Taxi recently won the best actress Japanese Academy Film Prize for its iconic star Chieko Baisho.
Genre fans have plenty to look forward to from this year’s line-up. Exit 8 adapts an acclaimed indie video game, and focuses on a man trying to break a loop in a mysterious subway tunnel. The Curse is a welcome throw-back to classic J-horror films such as Ringu, while Transcending Dimensions is an unclassifiable odyssey through space and time from cult favourite director Toshiaki Toyoda. Suzuki=Bakudan is a dark crime thriller reminiscent of classics such as Se7en. Rewrite, meanwhile, is a playful and often surprising time travel romance.
Classic titles this year include 25th anniversary screenings of Satoshi Kon’s wonderful anime Millennium Actress, while the new documentary The Ozu Diaries - which explores the life of Yasujiro Ozu - will be paired with a screening of Ozu’s esteemed final film, An Autumn Afternoon. Elsewhere on the anime front, JFF is delighted to present a Dublin screening of the zany fantasy comedy ChaO.
Explore the full line-up and book tickets here.
The Embassy of Japan and access>CINEMA are the co-organisers of the Festival.
H.E. Mr. MIYAGAWA Manabu, Ambassador of Japan to Ireland, said: “In my first year as Ambassador of Japan to Ireland, I am delighted to see this annual event going so strong.
“This year will see Japanese films screened in 12 different locations across 10 counties in Ireland, and we hope this will only continue to increase as more Irish filmgoers attend!”
Maeve Cooke, Director of access>CINEMA, said: “The Japanese Film Festival is now into its 17th year. As ever, JFF 26 will bring the latest Japanese films to audiences across Ireland, alongside a selection of classic titles.
“This year’s line-up includes a wide selection of films, and we hope there’s something for everyone to enjoy and discover. Whether you’re looking for acclaimed dramas, pulpy thrills or new & classic anime, we’re looking forward to welcoming JFF regulars and newcomers alike to cinemas across Ireland throughout April.”