Knowing Me, Knowing You
The True Self in Japanese Cinema
6 February to 31 March 2026
Aberystwyth
Altrincham
Belfast
Birmingham
Bristol
Cambridge
Cardiff
Chester
Chichester
Colchester
Coventry
Derby
Dundee
Edinburgh
Exeter
Kendal
Kirkwall (Orkney)
Lancaster
Leeds
Leicester
Leigh
Lewes
Liverpool
London (ICA)
London (Riverside)
Manchester
Newcastle upon Tyne
Norwich
Nottingham
Oxford
Plymouth
Sheffield
Stirling
York
- Films
The Hotel of My Dream
Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality
The Man Who Failed to Die
What Should We Have Done?
The Final Piece
She Taught Me Serendipity
Ghost Killer
Adabana
Strangers in Kyoto
Petals and Memories
Ura Aka: L'Aventure
Teki Cometh
Conflagration
Blue Boy Trial
Kaneko's Commissary
The Real You
Silence of the Sea
Love Doesn't Matter to Me
Sham
The Last Blossom
Like Asura
I Am What I Am
ANGRY SQUAD: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers
A Bad Summer
Missing Child Videotape
NEMURUBAKA: Hypnic Jerks
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!
Starting on 6 February, we’re rolling into 34 cinemas nationwide, revisiting favourite spots from Plymouth right up to Orkney — and this year we’re cranking things up with two brand-new stops in Greater Manchester!
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 (JFTFP26) 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 Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 is programmed and produced by TAKEKAWA Junko (Japan Foundation, London), with assistance from Charlie KETHERO (Japan Foundation, London) and Christine LUO (Japan Foundation, London) alongside NAKAE Mami (Japan Foundation, Tokyo) and everyone at our partner venues!
Programming was advised upon by NAKAZAKI Kiyomi, SEKIGUCHI Satoko, and Dr. Alexander Jacoby.