6 – 15 February 2026
The UK’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP), is back again. This is the place where cinema comes alive!
Knowing others — let alone ourselves — is not easy, as we behave differently depending on the relationship, environment, or even intention. In an age of advanced digital technology, where imagery can be readily manipulated, it is even harder to define who we, or others, truly are. This notion of identifying the self has been repeatedly explored in cinematic narratives in various ways. However, is it really possible to know our true selves? And if so, would such revelations lead to happiness and freedom, or might they instead bring disastrous and harsh consequences? With these questions in mind, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 showcases some of the most unmissable Japanese films nationwide across the UK. From powerful social crime dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies to gender-defining films, fantasy, and horror, the programme offers something for everyone.
The UK’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP), is back again. This is the place where cinema comes alive!
Knowing others — let alone ourselves — is not easy, as we behave differently depending on the relationship, environment, or even intention. In an age of advanced digital technology, where imagery can be readily manipulated, it is even harder to define who we, or others, truly are. This notion of identifying the self has been repeatedly explored in cinematic narratives in various ways. However, is it really possible to know our true selves? And if so, would such revelations lead to happiness and freedom, or might they instead bring disastrous and harsh consequences? With these questions in mind, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 showcases some of the most unmissable Japanese films nationwide across the UK. From powerful social crime dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies to gender-defining films, fantasy, and horror, the programme offers something for everyone.
Programme
Friday 6 February, 6pm
Opening: Sham
A devoted teacher, Seiichi (AYANO Go), faces shocking abuse allegations from his pupil’s mother (SHIBASAKI Ko). As media frenzy and a massive lawsuit spiral out of control, his world and his core self collapse around him in this fast-paced drama based on a real incident.
Friday 6 February, 8.45pm
I Am What I Am
Kasumi (MIURA Toko) is under pressure from her mother, who expects her to marry. Reluctant to do so, she embarks on a quest to confront who she is and what she truly wants, surrounded by unconventional friends, while challenging traditional ideals of love and womanhood.
Saturday 7 February, 1.20pm
Thursday 12 February, 4.10pm
Strangers in Kyoto
Madoka (FUKAGAWA Mai), a Tokyo-based manga writer newly married into a Kyoto folding-fan family, sets out to celebrate the city’s traditions in a comic essay. But her innocent enthusiasm for the old city soon clashes with local sensibilities, sparking conflict, disapproval, and outright havoc!
Saturday 7 February, 3.20pm
Petals and Memories
Siblings Toshiki (SUZUKI Ryohei) and Fumiko (ARIMURA Kasumi) have relied on each other since losing their parents. When Fumiko announces her marriage, her continued connection to another woman’s memories threatens to upend the life they have built together.
Saturday 7 February, 5.45pm
Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality
In 19th century Edo, novelist Bakin (YAKUSHO Koji) begins an ambitious mystical tale of good and evil. Three decades later, as his life’s work reaches its climax, he is struck by a tragedy that makes him nearly unable to continue. A film packed with thrilling exploits of eight fictional heroes and Hokusai!
Saturday 7 February, 8.40pm
Silence of the Sea
When one of the exhibiting works by renowned artist Shuzo (ISHIZAKA Koji) turns out to be a forgery, the shockwaves reach his talented former rival Ryuji (MOTOKI Masahiro), now exiled from the art world. Ryuji may even be involved in the death of a mysterious tattooed woman…
Sunday 8 February, 1.30pm
She Taught Me Serendipity
An unexpected encounter with free-spirited Hana (KAWAI Yuumi) awakens the bored and out-of-place university student Toru (HAGIWARA Riku) to the joys of everyday life and the wonder of serendipity. But one day, fate strikes them both, changing their destiny forever.
Sunday 8 February, 4pm
Tuesday 10 February, 4.10pm
Conflagration
In postwar Kyoto, troubled monk Goichi’s (ICHIKAWA Raizo VIII) reverence for the sacred Shukaku Temple curdles into obsession for its beauty as he witnesses corruption and hypocrisy within its walls. Tormented, he resolves to commit a shocking act of purity from which there is no return.
Sunday 8 February, 6pm
Kaneko's Commissary
Shinji (MARUYAMA Ryuhei) runs a commissary service, delivering goods to prisoners. His dutiful life is suddenly turned upside down when he is asked to bring items to the man who murdered a local girl and meets a teenager determined to confront her mother’s killer in this uniquely set drama.
Sunday 8 February, 8.30pm
The Man Who Failed to Die
When Ippei (MIZUKAWA Katamari) comes home after a failed suicide attempt, he is suddenly faced with the ghost of a middle-aged man, who asks him to kill his daughter’s ex-husband. Soon, an unlikely friendship blooms between Ippei and the ghost in this cynical comedy.
Tuesday 10 February, 6.15pm
ANGRY SQUAD: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers
Strait-laced tax officer Jiro (UCHINO Seiyo) is swindled by con artist Makoto (OKADA Masaki). When the trickster proposes targeting a corrupt tycoon, they team up with a crew of misfits to form the “Angry Squad”, launching a daring scheme with unexpected emotional consequences.
Tuesday 10 February, 8.40pm
Missing Child Videotape
Keita (SUGITA Rairu), haunted by his brother Hinata’s mysterious disappearance as a child, receives a VHS tape showing the exact moment he vanished. Against the advice of his psychic friend, he returns to the mountains to find out what exactly happened that day…
Wednesday 11 February, 6.20pm
Adabana
In a near-future world, wealthy but terminally ill Shinji (IURA Arata) meets his “Unit” — a clone of himself created using cutting-edge technology. As memories resurface and a strange intimacy develops, he is compelled to question himself and the sanctity of life.
Wednesday 11 February, 8.40pm
NEMURUBAKA: Hypnic Jerks
As Ruka (TAIRA Yuna) rises to fame in the music industry, her roommate Yumi (KUBO Shiori) begins to question herself and her unambitious life. However, there is something Yumi does not know about Ruka beneath her glittering exterior. A heartfelt story of youth, dreams, and sisterhood.
Thursday 12 February, 6.10pm
The Real You
Sakuya (IKEMATSU Sosuke), who failed to hear his late mother’s final message, requests the creation of a Virtual Figure (VF) — an AI recreation built from her harvested data. What he discovers through the artificial image, however, leads him to something entirely unexpected.
Thursday 12 February, 8.40pm
Ura Aka: L'Aventure
Feeling trapped in her monotonous life, boutique manager Machiko (TAKIUCHI Kumi) creates a secret social media persona to escape. Her newfound sense of self, however, leads her into a dangerous pitfall in this timely drama at a moment when multiple selves are increasingly common.
Friday 13 February, 6.10pm
Blue Boy Trial + Q&A
In 1965, Sachi (NAKAGAWA Miyu), a transgender woman, lives a quiet life with her fiancé. Forced to testify in court about her gender-affirming surgery, she confronts a society unwilling to see her for who she really is in this ground-breaking film based on a true event.
Friday 13 February, 8.50pm
What Should We Have Done?
In 1983, Masako began showing signs of schizophrenia, but her doctor parents denied her illness and treatment. Nearly two decades later, her brother turns his camera on his family, exploring the human cost of denial, dignity, and mental health struggles in this powerful personal documentary.
Saturday 14 February, 1.20pm
The Hotel of My Dream
Rookie novelist Kayoko (Non) struggles with her career. Holding a grudge over the harsh criticisms from prominent literary figure Munenori (TAKITO Kenichi), she sets out to take revenge on him — but her misfortune continues. Can she claim her position in the literary world?
Saturday 14 February, 3.20pm
Love Doesn't Matter to Me
When Hiiro (MINAMI Sara) befriends classmates who face similarly difficult upbringings by their mothers, the gears of a dynamic relationship begin to turn — in a direction they do not expect — in this female-centred film free from the shackles of pity.
Saturday 14 February, 5.40pm
Teki Cometh + Q&A
Retired French literature professor Gisuke (NAGATSUKA Kyozo) lives a quiet, solitary life — until a mysterious email plunges him into haunting dreams and growing dread, forcing him to reckon with his deepest sins as his respectable facade begins to crumble.
Saturday 14 February, 8.30pm
A Bad Summer
Introverted welfare caseworker Mamoru (KITAMURA Takumi) reluctantly helps a colleague investigate coercion against single mother Aimi (KAWAI Yuumi). As he becomes personally involved, a harrowing tale of crime, deception, and hidden dangers unfolds in this satirical social crime drama.
Sunday 15 February, 1.30pm
Like Asura
In 1979, the four TAKEZAWA sisters reunite after uncovering their father’s secret affair. As they shield their devoted mother from the truth, each of their personal struggles surface, revealing the complexities within a seemingly close-knit family in this timeless film.
Sunday 15 February, 4.10pm
The Last Blossom
Lonely prisoner and former yakuza member Minoru talks to his sole companion, a potted hosenka (balsam), about his past and the meaning of life. Betrayed and manipulated from a young age, he still clings to one thing — the hope of turning his life around — in this tender anime.
Sunday 15 February, 6.10pm
The Final Piece
Deep in the mountains, a corpse and a rare shogi piece spark a high-stakes investigation that soon points to rising shogi player Keisuke (SAKAGUCHI Kentaro). As the case unfolds, his carefully constructed image starts to crumble, exposing wounds and fractured relationships from his past.
Sunday 15 February, 8.40pm
Ghost Killer
After finding a bullet casing, university student Fumika (TAKAISHI Akari) discovers she can channel the lethal skills of ghostly assassin Hideo (MIMOTO Masanori), reluctantly plunging her into a shadowy world of vengeance, danger, and an unexpected bond.
Friday 6 February, 6pm
Opening: Sham
A devoted teacher, Seiichi (AYANO Go), faces shocking abuse allegations from his pupil’s mother (SHIBASAKI Ko). As media frenzy and a massive lawsuit spiral out of control, his world and his core self collapse around him in this fast-paced drama based on a real incident.
Friday 6 February, 8.45pm
I Am What I Am
Kasumi (MIURA Toko) is under pressure from her mother, who expects her to marry. Reluctant to do so, she embarks on a quest to confront who she is and what she truly wants, surrounded by unconventional friends, while challenging traditional ideals of love and womanhood.
Saturday 7 February, 1.20pm
Thursday 12 February, 4.10pm
Strangers in Kyoto
Madoka (FUKAGAWA Mai), a Tokyo-based manga writer newly married into a Kyoto folding-fan family, sets out to celebrate the city’s traditions in a comic essay. But her innocent enthusiasm for the old city soon clashes with local sensibilities, sparking conflict, disapproval, and outright havoc!
Saturday 7 February, 3.20pm
Petals and Memories
Siblings Toshiki (SUZUKI Ryohei) and Fumiko (ARIMURA Kasumi) have relied on each other since losing their parents. When Fumiko announces her marriage, her continued connection to another woman’s memories threatens to upend the life they have built together.
Saturday 7 February, 5.45pm
Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality
In 19th century Edo, novelist Bakin (YAKUSHO Koji) begins an ambitious mystical tale of good and evil. Three decades later, as his life’s work reaches its climax, he is struck by a tragedy that makes him nearly unable to continue. A film packed with thrilling exploits of eight fictional heroes and Hokusai!
Saturday 7 February, 8.40pm
Silence of the Sea
When one of the exhibiting works by renowned artist Shuzo (ISHIZAKA Koji) turns out to be a forgery, the shockwaves reach his talented former rival Ryuji (MOTOKI Masahiro), now exiled from the art world. Ryuji may even be involved in the death of a mysterious tattooed woman…
Sunday 8 February, 1.30pm
She Taught Me Serendipity
An unexpected encounter with free-spirited Hana (KAWAI Yuumi) awakens the bored and out-of-place university student Toru (HAGIWARA Riku) to the joys of everyday life and the wonder of serendipity. But one day, fate strikes them both, changing their destiny forever.
Sunday 8 February, 4pm
Tuesday 10 February, 4.10pm
Conflagration
In postwar Kyoto, troubled monk Goichi’s (ICHIKAWA Raizo VIII) reverence for the sacred Shukaku Temple curdles into obsession for its beauty as he witnesses corruption and hypocrisy within its walls. Tormented, he resolves to commit a shocking act of purity from which there is no return.
Sunday 8 February, 6pm
Kaneko's Commissary
Shinji (MARUYAMA Ryuhei) runs a commissary service, delivering goods to prisoners. His dutiful life is suddenly turned upside down when he is asked to bring items to the man who murdered a local girl and meets a teenager determined to confront her mother’s killer in this uniquely set drama.
Sunday 8 February, 8.30pm
The Man Who Failed to Die
When Ippei (MIZUKAWA Katamari) comes home after a failed suicide attempt, he is suddenly faced with the ghost of a middle-aged man, who asks him to kill his daughter’s ex-husband. Soon, an unlikely friendship blooms between Ippei and the ghost in this cynical comedy.
Tuesday 10 February, 6.15pm
ANGRY SQUAD: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers
Strait-laced tax officer Jiro (UCHINO Seiyo) is swindled by con artist Makoto (OKADA Masaki). When the trickster proposes targeting a corrupt tycoon, they team up with a crew of misfits to form the “Angry Squad”, launching a daring scheme with unexpected emotional consequences.
Tuesday 10 February, 8.40pm
Missing Child Videotape
Keita (SUGITA Rairu), haunted by his brother Hinata’s mysterious disappearance as a child, receives a VHS tape showing the exact moment he vanished. Against the advice of his psychic friend, he returns to the mountains to find out what exactly happened that day…
Wednesday 11 February, 6.20pm
Adabana
In a near-future world, wealthy but terminally ill Shinji (IURA Arata) meets his “Unit” — a clone of himself created using cutting-edge technology. As memories resurface and a strange intimacy develops, he is compelled to question himself and the sanctity of life.
Wednesday 11 February, 8.40pm
NEMURUBAKA: Hypnic Jerks
As Ruka (TAIRA Yuna) rises to fame in the music industry, her roommate Yumi (KUBO Shiori) begins to question herself and her unambitious life. However, there is something Yumi does not know about Ruka beneath her glittering exterior. A heartfelt story of youth, dreams, and sisterhood.
Thursday 12 February, 6.10pm
The Real You
Sakuya (IKEMATSU Sosuke), who failed to hear his late mother’s final message, requests the creation of a Virtual Figure (VF) — an AI recreation built from her harvested data. What he discovers through the artificial image, however, leads him to something entirely unexpected.
Thursday 12 February, 8.40pm
Ura Aka: L'Aventure
Feeling trapped in her monotonous life, boutique manager Machiko (TAKIUCHI Kumi) creates a secret social media persona to escape. Her newfound sense of self, however, leads her into a dangerous pitfall in this timely drama at a moment when multiple selves are increasingly common.
Friday 13 February, 6.10pm
Blue Boy Trial + Q&A
In 1965, Sachi (NAKAGAWA Miyu), a transgender woman, lives a quiet life with her fiancé. Forced to testify in court about her gender-affirming surgery, she confronts a society unwilling to see her for who she really is in this ground-breaking film based on a true event.
Friday 13 February, 8.50pm
What Should We Have Done?
In 1983, Masako began showing signs of schizophrenia, but her doctor parents denied her illness and treatment. Nearly two decades later, her brother turns his camera on his family, exploring the human cost of denial, dignity, and mental health struggles in this powerful personal documentary.
Saturday 14 February, 1.20pm
The Hotel of My Dream
Rookie novelist Kayoko (Non) struggles with her career. Holding a grudge over the harsh criticisms from prominent literary figure Munenori (TAKITO Kenichi), she sets out to take revenge on him — but her misfortune continues. Can she claim her position in the literary world?
Saturday 14 February, 3.20pm
Love Doesn't Matter to Me
When Hiiro (MINAMI Sara) befriends classmates who face similarly difficult upbringings by their mothers, the gears of a dynamic relationship begin to turn — in a direction they do not expect — in this female-centred film free from the shackles of pity.
Saturday 14 February, 5.40pm
Teki Cometh + Q&A
Retired French literature professor Gisuke (NAGATSUKA Kyozo) lives a quiet, solitary life — until a mysterious email plunges him into haunting dreams and growing dread, forcing him to reckon with his deepest sins as his respectable facade begins to crumble.
Saturday 14 February, 8.30pm
A Bad Summer
Introverted welfare caseworker Mamoru (KITAMURA Takumi) reluctantly helps a colleague investigate coercion against single mother Aimi (KAWAI Yuumi). As he becomes personally involved, a harrowing tale of crime, deception, and hidden dangers unfolds in this satirical social crime drama.
Sunday 15 February, 1.30pm
Like Asura
In 1979, the four TAKEZAWA sisters reunite after uncovering their father’s secret affair. As they shield their devoted mother from the truth, each of their personal struggles surface, revealing the complexities within a seemingly close-knit family in this timeless film.
Sunday 15 February, 4.10pm
The Last Blossom
Lonely prisoner and former yakuza member Minoru talks to his sole companion, a potted hosenka (balsam), about his past and the meaning of life. Betrayed and manipulated from a young age, he still clings to one thing — the hope of turning his life around — in this tender anime.
Sunday 15 February, 6.10pm
The Final Piece
Deep in the mountains, a corpse and a rare shogi piece spark a high-stakes investigation that soon points to rising shogi player Keisuke (SAKAGUCHI Kentaro). As the case unfolds, his carefully constructed image starts to crumble, exposing wounds and fractured relationships from his past.
Sunday 15 February, 8.40pm
Ghost Killer
After finding a bullet casing, university student Fumika (TAKAISHI Akari) discovers she can channel the lethal skills of ghostly assassin Hideo (MIMOTO Masanori), reluctantly plunging her into a shadowy world of vengeance, danger, and an unexpected bond.
no. 236848.