Film is a medium that carries masterfully the culture of a place within it and reaches a large audience. Since 2016, Japanese Film Festival (JFF) has been instrumental in sharing the magic of Japanese cinema with the world and furthering the interactions between cultures. In 2017, it premiered in India as well, paving the way for a sustained partnership. Right from its inception, JFF India became the first and only film festival in India to not limit itself to a single city, and travelled across the country so that more people can familiarize themselves with Japanese cinema.

The love that India has for films has always shone through in the response to JFF.

In 2019, the festival toured in 7 cities, a scale at which it had not been held before in India. A line-up of 25 films were shown, which included popular and well-acclaimed films like, Your Name, Shoplifters and Weathering with You. The genres ranged from anime to thriller to musical, because of which the films were enjoyed by the entire audience, irrespective of age.

In 2022, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Japan, the festival focused exclusively on the filmmaker whose work anime fans all over India helped bring to the big screen by signing a petition in 2019: Makoto Shinkai. The festival not only showcased 6 feature films by Shinkai, but also included the film versions of two RADWIMPS concerts.

In 2023, aware of the love India has for Makoto Shinkai, JFF helped bring his latest film, Suzume, to theatres for all anime fans to enjoy!

In 2024, the festival travelled to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and Guwahati, where audiences warmly embraced the diverse stories on screen. That year also marked our first collaboration with Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!! in Delhi, with a lineup dedicated entirely to anime films — a partnership that was met with great excitement. We also hosted a special screening of the film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (English Version), which made the edition even more memorable.

This year (2025), JFF is delighted to collaborate once again with Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!!, bringing back the very best of anime films for audiences to enjoy on the big screen.

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