{"id":25178,"date":"2026-05-19T12:08:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/25178\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:08:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:08:07","slug":"news-line-up-revealed-nippon-connection-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/25178\/","title":{"rendered":"News: Line-up revealed: Nippon Connection 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The world\u2019s largest festival for Japanese cinema returns to Frankfur, presentwithng 140+ films including 7 world premieres\u2026<\/p>\n<p>From June 2 to 7, the 26th Nippon Connection Film Festival will showcase more than 140 short and feature-length films across 13 venues, with around 100 Japanese filmmakers and artists attending the festival in Frankfurt. The selection ranges from box-office success to arthouse and genre cinema, reflecting the diversity of contemporary Japanese cinema.<\/p>\n<p>Related posts<\/p>\n<p>Article continues after<\/p>\n<p>The theme of this year is \u201cShades of Reality \u2013 Between Truth and Fiction\u201d, dedicated to exploring how films construct and question reality. Today\u2019s world is filled with misinformation, and the conflict between reality and fiction is becoming more noticeable. Through this programme, the festival invites the audience to challenge and reflect on their own perceptions of the world.<\/p>\n<p>Lee Sang-il\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternkicks.com\/reviews\/kokuho\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kokuho<\/a>, Japan\u2019s highest-grossing live-action film, will be making an appearance at the festival. Other box-office hits such as Akira Nagai\u2019s mystery-thriller SUZUKI=BAKUDAN and Ayuko Tsukahara\u2019s time-travel romance FIRST KISS will also be screened. Following a celebrated world premiere at the Berlinale, Yusuke Hirota will be in Frankfurt to present his animated feature Chimney Town: Frozen in Time.<\/p>\n<p>Fresh off the success at the 28th Far East Film Festival, two award-winning films are celebrating their German premieres at Nippon Connection, including Taichi Kimura\u2019s female empowerment drama Fujiko, which took home the Golden Mulberry Audience Award. 5 Centimeters per Second, a live-action adaptation of its namesake anime classic and winner of the audience award in FEFF\u2019s digital version, will be shown in the presence of director Yoshiyuki Okuyama.<\/p>\n<p>Fans of genre cinema will have a lot to catch at the festival this year. Comedian Yuriyan Retriever subverts the traditional J-horror convention in her directorial debut MAG MAG, and Ryo Fujii brings the iconic \u201cTower of the Sun\u201d sculpture to life to save mankind in the peculiar trash spectacle Taroman Expo Explosion. Yusuke Iwasaki\u2019s AnyMart, winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at Berlinale, sees corpses accumulating in a supermarket, throwing an employee\u2019s work off balance.<\/p>\n<p>For those craving unconventional love stories, the festival has a wide selection on offer. Chihiro Amano\u2019s Sato and Sato explores traditional gender roles through the everyday life of a young married couple. Nobuhiro Doi\u2019s second-chance romance A Moon in the Ordinary reunites a divorced man with his teenage sweetheart. Kenji Yamauchi\u2019s erotic comedy A Unique Country in Asia blurs the line between care and sex work. Wataru Takahashi\u2019s quirky musical anime The Obsessed follows a passionate boy whose life is transformed after meeting a gloomy balloon seller.<\/p>\n<p>The festival shines a spotlight on underrepresented voices in Japanese cinema. Director Sachi Hamano and screenwriter Kuninori Yamazaki will be presenting their film Kaneko Fumiko, which follows a young woman\u2019s battle against oppression in 1920s colonial Japan. Also attending the festival is director Yumiko Asano, whose documentary Yuho No Border tells the story of 70-year-old Yuho Asaka who was born with brittle bone disease and later became a vocal activist for disability rights. Turning to queer stories, Kasho Iizuka\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternkicks.com\/reviews\/blue-boy-trial\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Boy Trial<\/a> revisits a trial in 1960s Tokyo, where three transgender sex workers become a subject of controversy. Anshul Chauhan\u2019s Tiger follows gay sex worker Taiga through Tokyo\u2019s night scene, using raw imagery to probe into complicated family dynamics.<\/p>\n<p>This year, Anna Yamada is the recipient of the Nippon Rising Award, an honorary award given to an emerging star in the Japanese film industry. Yamada is noted for her empathetic performances in both blockbusters and independent films, and three films of hers, New Group (2025), Little Love (2019) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternkicks.com\/reviews\/chao\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CHAO<\/a> (2025) will be screened at the festival.<\/p>\n<p>The subject of this year\u2019s retrospective is Tatsuya Nakadai, a giant in Japanese cinema who passed away at the age of 92 last November. The loss of this extraordinary artist is greatly mourned by the film community. In collaboration with the Japan Foundation, Nippon Connection will be screening nine of Nakadai\u2019s films on analog prints at the Deutsches Filminstitut &amp; Filmmuseum, including Masaki Kobayashi\u2019s Black River (1957), in which Nakadai landed his first major role, as well as Kobayashi\u2019s Harakiri (1962) Akira Kurosawa\u2019s Ran (1985), titles that propelled him into fame worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the screenings, the festival will be hosting over 80 cultural events across the city, including musical and dance performances, as well as art workshops and cooking classes. There will also be a Japanese market featuring food and handicrafts, offering festival-goers an all-rounded experience into Japanese culture.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Programme at a Glance<\/p>\n<p>NIPPON CINEMA<\/p>\n<p>5 Centimeters per Second by Yoshiyuki OKUYAMA, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>ALL GREENS by Takashi KOYAMA, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>AnyMart by Yusuke IWASAKI, Japan 2026<br \/>Blue Boy Trial by Kasho IIZUKA, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>Fiamma by Eiji UCHIDA, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>FIRST KISS by Ayuko TSUKAHARA, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>FUJIKO by Taichi KIMURA, Japan 2026, German premiere<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternkicks.com\/reviews\/how-dare-you\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How Dare You?<\/a> by Mipo O, Japan 2025<br \/>KOKUHO by Sang-il LEE, Japan 2025<br \/>Little Love Song by Kojiro HASHIMOTO, Japan 2019<br \/>MAG MAG by Yuriyan Retriever, Japan 2025<br \/>A Moon in the Ordinary by Nobuhiro DOI, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>NEW GROUP by Yuta SHIMOTSU, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>Night Flower by Eiji UCHIDA, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>A Pale View of Hills by Kei ISHIKAWA, Japan \/ UK \/ Poland 2025, German premiere<br \/>SAI: disaster by Yutaro SEKI, Kentaro HIRASE, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>A Samurai in Time by Junichi YASUDA, Japan 2024<br \/>Sato and Sato by Chihiro AMANO, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>SUZUKI=BAKUDAN by Akira NAGAI, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>TIGER by Anshul CHAUHAN, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>TOKYO TAXI by Yoji YAMADA, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>TWO SEASONS, TWO STRANGERS by Sho MIYAKE, Japan 2025<\/p>\n<p>NIPPON ANIMATION<\/p>\n<p>5 Centimeters per Second (2007) by Makoto SHINKAI, Japan 2007<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternkicks.com\/reviews\/chao\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ChaO <\/a>by Yasuhiro AOKI, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>Chimney Town: Frozen in Time by Yusuke HIROTA, Japan 2026<br \/>cocoon \u2013 One Summer of Girlhood \u2013 by Yukimitsu INA, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>Jinsei by Ryuya SUZUKI, Japan 2025<br \/>The Last Blossom by Baku KINOSHITA, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>A New Dawn by Yoshitoshi SHINOMIYA, Japan \/ France 2026<br \/>The Obsessed by Wataru TAKAHASHI, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>Sumikkogurashi: The Crispies Adventures in Fluffy Land by Naomi IWATA, Japan 2025, European premiere<\/p>\n<p>NIPPON VISIONS<\/p>\n<p>Ando by Yoshiaki ARAI, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>AT THE LOVEHOTEL by Santa IKEGAME, Japan 2026, International premiere<br \/>Cosmo Corpus by Yokna HASEGAWA, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>Dawn Chorus by Yoshinori SATO, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>The Deepest Space in Us by Yasutomo CHIKUMA, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>I Fell in Love With a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn by Kenichi UGANA, Japan 2025<br \/>Kaneko Fumiko by Sachi HAMANO, Japan 2025, European premiere<br \/>Kiiroiko by Mika IMAI, Japan \/ Taiwan 2025, International premiere<br \/>LONG NIGHT by Yui KUSAKARI, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>Saikai Paradise by Keiko TSURUOKA, Japan 2025, European premiere<br \/>Taroman Expo Explosion by Ryo FUJI, Japan 2025<br \/>A Unique Country in Asia by Kenji YAMAUCHI, Japan 2025, International premiere<\/p>\n<p>NIPPON DOCS<\/p>\n<p>ARUKU by Shiho KATAOKA, USA \/ Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>Dear Tomorrow by Kaspar ASTRUP SCHR\u00d6DER, Denmark \/ Sweden \/ Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>Guardians of the Harvest by Riko HIRO, Japan 2025, International premiere<br \/>The Limit by Reika KAMATA, Japan 2024, German premiere<br \/>Numakage Public Pool by Shingo OTA, Japan 2025, German premiere<br \/>The Ozu Diaries by Daniel RAIM, USA 2025, German premiere<br \/>Tetsuyo Turned 104, Living on Her Own by Kazuhiro YAMAMOTO, Japan 2024, European premiere<br \/>Yuho No Border by Yumiko ASANO, Japan 2026, International premiere<br \/>ZEN &amp; EROS by Miwa YOSHIMINE, Japan 2026, World premiere<\/p>\n<p>NIPPON RETRO<\/p>\n<p>Black River by Masaki KOBAYASHI, Japan 1957<br \/>The Face of Another by Hiroshi TESHIGAHARA, Japan 1966<br \/>Harakiri by Masaki KOBAYASHI, Japan 1962<br \/>Immortal Love by Keisuke KINOSHITA, Japan 1961<br \/>Kill! by Kihachi OKAMOTO, Japan 1968<br \/>Killer\u2019s Age by Kihachi OKAMOTO, Japan 1967<br \/>Portrait of Hell by Shiro TOYODA, Japan 1969<br \/>Ran by Akira KUROSAWA, Japan \/ France 1985<br \/>Rise, Fair Sun by Kei KUMAI, Japan 1973<\/p>\n<p>The complete line-up and tickets are available on <a href=\"https:\/\/nipponconnection.com\/en\/start\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NipponConnection.com<\/a>.About the author<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/yasmine_sq.jpg\" alt=\"Yasmine ChanYasmine Chan\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" height=\"80\" width=\"80\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Yasmine Chan<br \/>Yasmine Chan is a Netherlands\u2011based film writer and programmer specialising in Asian cinema and socially engaged film criticism.<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternkicks.com\/author\/ychan\/\" class=\"author-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read all posts by Yasmine Chan<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The world\u2019s largest festival for Japanese cinema returns to Frankfur, presentwithng 140+ films including 7 world premieres\u2026 From&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25179,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[19914,19915,19916,19917,542,3265,2211,19918,8,9572,9573,173,31,19919,19920,19924,19925,19921,19922,11816,19923],"class_list":["post-25178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-japan","tag-a-pale-view-of-hills","tag-a-samurai-in-time","tag-anymart","tag-chao","tag-events","tag-fujiko","tag-germany","tag-how-dare-you","tag-japan","tag-kokuho","tag-lee-sang-il","tag-news","tag-nippon","tag-nippon-connection","tag-nippon-connection-2026","tag-premieres","tag-screenings","tag-suzukibakudan","tag-the-face-of-another","tag-tiger","tag-tokyo-taxi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}