Japan\u2019s presence at the 2026 Annecy Animation Festival marks a recent high-water mark, with 25 Japanese films selected across the festival\u2019s competitive and non-competitive sections \u2013 up from 18 last year \u2013 as the country\u2019s industry bodies simultaneously consolidate their MIFA footprint under a unified booth structure.<\/p>\n
Three booths that previously operated separately have been brought together for this edition: the Japan Booth, run by UniJapan; VIPO; and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, with the Agency for Cultural Affairs providing overarching leadership of the combined effort. The consolidation is designed to allow Japan to present a strong, collective front to international partners at the market.<\/p>\n
More from Variety<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s 25 Annecy selections span almost every section of the festival\u2019s program. In the main Features competition, Kadowaki Kohei\u2019s \u201cWe Are Aliens\u201d<\/a> \u2013 a Japan-France co-production \u2013 vies for the top prize. The Contrechamp section carries four Japanese titles: Shinomiya Yoshitoshi\u2019s France co-production \u201cA New Dawn\u201d; Kuji Goro\u2019s \u201cPeleliu: Guernica of Paradise\u201d; Takahashi Wataru\u2019s \u201cThe Obsessed\u201d; and Christopher Sullivan\u2019s Japan-U.S. co-production \u201cThe Orbit of Minor Satellites.\u201d<\/p>\n Four Japanese films screen in the Annecy Presents section: Hirota Yusuke\u2019s \u201cChimney Town: Frozen in Time,\u201d Taniguchi Goro\u2019s \u201cParis ni Saku \u00c9toile,\u201d Ito Tomohiko\u2019s \u201cThe Keeper of the Camphor Tree,\u201d and Igarashi Yuki\u2019s \u201cThe Ribbon Hero.\u201d Kutsuna Kenichi\u2019s \u201cSekiro: No Defeat\u201d appears in Midnight Specials, while works-in-progress include Kuribayashi Kazuaki\u2019s \u201cKilltube\u201d and \u201cMonkey Quest,\u201d directed by David N. Weiss as a Japan-U.S. project.<\/p>\n Short film selections include Yamamura Koji\u2019s \u201cHaru no Umi,\u201d with Yakata Kanata\u2019s \u201cBucketman\u201d and Miyajima Ryotaro\u2019s \u201cRest\u201d in the Perspectives strand, and two Midnight Shorts: Nagaya Seishiro\u2019s \u201cA Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin\u2019 in the Schoolyard\u201d and Yamada Ryoji\u2019s \u201cBuilder.\u201d Mokochan\u2019s \u201cDive Into \u2018Ghost in the Shell’\u201d screens as a Special Event.<\/p>\n In TV Films, Japan has four entries: Misato Tomoki\u2019s \u201cJaadugar: Candy Caries\u201d; Yamada Naoko and Abel Gongora\u2019s \u201cJaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia\u201d; Ota Minoru\u2019s \u201cSparks of Tomorrow Episode 1\u201d; and Iino Shinya\u2019s \u201cTakopi\u2019s Original Sin.\u201d The Graduation Films section includes Guo Yini\u2019s \u201cPlankton \u03b1,\u201d Sam Kuwa\u2019s Japan-China co-production \u201cSo He Grabbed the Knife,\u201d and Yiling Wang\u2019s \u201cSlap.\u201d<\/p>\n On the market side, the Agency for Cultural Affairs is channeling resources through its Japan Creator Support Fund, under which a range of industry events are organized at this year\u2019s MIFA. A co-production panel, \u201cFinding a Shared Vision: Co-Production with Japan,\u201d takes place on June 25, presenting two feature projects: Shinomiya Yoshitoshi\u2019s completed \u201cA New Dawn\u201d and Kawamura Masashi\u2019s work-in-progress \u201cHidari,\u201d with both directors in attendance.<\/p>\n The Global Anime Challenge \u2013 a three-year Agency for Cultural Affairs-funded program aimed at cultivating emerging Japanese anime talent through studio internships abroad \u2013 is presenting 12 original IP projects across two sessions on June 23. Among the titles pitching in Part 1 is \u201cLucifer\u2019s Lawyer,\u201d a fantasy dramedy directed by Koide Takushi, whose TV anime \u201cGoodbye, Lara\u201d is set to air this July. Part 2 features projects from two \u201cBocchi the Rock!\u201d staff members: Saito Keiichiro, director of the first season, and Yamamoto Yusuke, director of the upcoming second season. Also pitching across the two sessions are Shinohara Keisuke\u2019s \u201cPhantom of the Cadillac,\u201d Takarai Shunsuke\u2019s \u201cNinja Skooler,\u201d and Kudo Mana\u2019s \u201cError403.\u201d<\/p>\n VIPO is hosting a further event backed by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, with details available through VIPO directly. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is also staging its own session at the market.<\/p>\n Driven by the Japan Creator Support Fund initiatives, a diverse group of Japanese professionals and students will be attending Annecy and MIFA this year, making Japan\u2019s presence larger than ever, a month after the nation roared at the Cannes Film Market as its Country of Honor.<\/p>\n Best of Variety<\/p>\n Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s presence at the 2026 Annecy Animation Festival marks a recent high-water mark, with 25 Japanese films selected…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[31057,31060,8,31062,31059,33,3056,31058,31061],"class_list":["post-43901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-japan","tag-agency-for-cultural-affairs","tag-annecy","tag-japan","tag-japanese-titles","tag-mifa","tag-nihon","tag-tokyo-metropolitan-government","tag-vipo","tag-yamada-naoko"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43901","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=43901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}