🎬 JAPAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL 2026
in NAKAGAWA, TOCHIGI, JAPAN
October 24 (Sat) – 25 (Sun)
Our official poster and festival guide are finally complete!
Japan World Film Festival brings films from around the world to Nakagawa — a small town surrounded by forests, fields, rivers and everyday local life.
For two days, audiences can discover carefully selected international animation, drama and documentary films, alongside films made in Japan and in Nakagawa itself.
But JWFF is more than a film screening event.
Throughout the weekend, filmmakers and audiences will meet through director Q&As, panel discussions, live performances, workshops, local films, food and cultural experiences.
🌏 WORLD CINEMA × LOCAL CULTURE
We believe cinema can connect places that may seem very far apart.
A film made on the other side of the world can make us recognize something familiar. A story from another culture can also open a window into a life we have never experienced.
At the same time, we want visitors to discover Nakagawa — its people, food, traditions and landscape.
🍚 TASTE NAKAGAWA, TASTE THE WORLD
The festival will also bring together local food and flavors from around the world.
Because food, like cinema, carries the memory of a place and the people who live there.
🎭 FILM, FOOD, MUSIC & EXPERIENCES
From traditional local performances and live music to workshops and a special anime dubbing experience for children, there will be many ways to take part — whether you are a filmmaker, a film lover, a local resident, or simply curious.
Come for a film.
Stay for the food.
Meet a filmmaker.
Discover a new story.
And experience Nakagawa through cinema.
📅 October 24–25, 2026
🕙 10:00–18:30
🎟 FREE ADMISSION
📍 Ogawa Comprehensive Welfare Center “Ajisai Hall”
Nakagawa Town, Tochigi, Japan
We look forward to welcoming filmmakers, audiences and friends from Japan and around the world.
🇯🇵 日本語
ポスター&パンフレットが完成しました!
世界の映画と、那珂川町の食・文化・人が出会う2日間。
10月24日・25日、那珂川町でお待ちしています。
#JapanWorldFilmFestival #JWFF #FilmFestival #InternationalFilmFestival #WorldCinema #IndependentFilm #ShortFilm #Animation #Documentary #Nakagawa #Tochigi #Japan #Cinema #FilmCulture #LocalCulture #那珂川町 #映画祭 #映画 #栃木県
JWFF 2026 Writers Residency: Co-Grand Prix Announcement! 脚本家レジデンシーのダブルグランプリ発表!
🎉We are beyond thrilled to announce our Co-Grand Prix Winners for the Japan World Film Festival 2026 Writers Residency Competition! The volume and overall caliber of submissions this year were staggering. Reading through so many extraordinary stories made us realize something profound: this program has to go beyond borders. International communication and creative collaboration—this is the absolute way to go!
想像をはるかにうまわまる作品数とクオリティの高さにJWFFも驚きを隠せません。
We are so proud to award our Co-Grand Prix honors to two brilliant artists and their breathtaking screenplays:
2名のレジデンシー受賞者は下記の2名です。
Alisa Gordaneer (Haruko's Song)
アリサ・ゴルダニア
Alisa is a multi-media communications professional based in Victoria, Canada, whose diverse career spans medical illustration, documentary filmmaking, university instruction, and journalism, with several published books and awards to her credit.
S. Christian Roe (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
クリスチャン・ロー
Christian is an award-winning Los Angeles-based writer/director with credits premiering at Cannes and advancing through major competitions like Nicholl and Austin, crafting deeply vulnerable stories that explore hidden secrets and gentle human resilience.
Independent storytelling thrives because of creators like you.
Thank you for making JWFF 2026 an unforgettable journey of art, culture, and connection!
#JWFF2026 #JapanWorldFilmFestival #那珂川町 #WritersResidency #Satoyama #Screenwriting #IndependentFilm #Filmmaking #Storytelling #小砂 #栃木
Announcing the official Finalists for the Japan World Film Festival 2026 Writers Residency Competition!
脚本家レジデンシーのコンペ。ファイナリストをご紹介いたします。
Huge congratulations to these incredible writers and creators for their outstanding screenplays and stories:
ODORITSUGU – Yuko Haginoya
What the Earth Remembers – Olivier Ramberti, Ruslana Beryket
Haruko's Song – Alisa Gordaneer
The Crow At Tōkai – David M Shaw
The Folding Chair – Marco Machera
Kuroshio – Kyle Soehngen, Kynan Dias
Amaban 雨番 - The Rain Girl – Andrea Malpighi
Whatever Will Be, Will Be – S. Christian Roe @roebotwriter
Stay tuned—we will be releasing our Grand Prix information in just a few days!
#JWFF2026 #JapanWorldFilmFestival #WritersResidency #ScreenplayCompetition #Storytellers #NakagawaMachi
🎬 The JWFF Official Selection is coming soon. 🇯🇵
The judging process for this year’s Japan World Film Festival is now complete.
This year, we received our strongest response yet from filmmakers around the world. The quality, diversity, and originality of the films made this year’s selection process exceptionally competitive — and, honestly, made our decisions harder than ever.
Because we encountered so many remarkable stories that deserve to be seen by Japanese audiences, we have decided to expand our program beyond its usual size and select around 30 films this year.
We’re incredibly grateful to every filmmaker who trusted us with their work and shared their vision with JWFF.
The official selection will be announced very soon.
More stories. More voices. More cinema from around the world — meeting Japan. 🇯🇵🌏🎬
Stay tuned.
🎬 JWFF公式セレクション、まもなく発表。 🇯🇵
ジャパンワールド映画祭(JWFF)、本年度の審査が終了しました。
今年は、これまでのJWFFで最も多くの反響を世界中のフィルムメーカーの皆さまからいただきました。そして、数多く寄せられた作品は、どれも個性と情熱にあふれ、今年のセレクションはこれまで以上に難しいものとなりました。
その中で私たちは、日本の観客に届けるべき素晴らしい物語があまりにも多かったため、今年は通常のプログラム規模を拡大し、約30作品を選出することを決定しました。
JWFFに作品を託し、それぞれの物語と想いを届けてくださった、すべてのフィルムメーカーの皆さまに心より感謝いたします。
いよいよ、本年度の公式セレクションをまもなく発表します。
世界の物語が、日本と出会う。 今年は、さらに多くの物語と、さらに多くの声を。 🇯🇵🌏🎬
どうぞ、楽しみにお待ちください。
#JapanWorldFilmFestival #JWFF #FilmFestival #OfficialSelection #IndependentCinema #ShortFilm #Filmmakers #InternationalFilm #JapaneseFilmFestival #栃木 #那珂川町 #水戸市
毎年開催の今やお馴染みとなりました国際映画祭JWFF
この映画祭の魅力や背景がしっかり語られたポスト
是非見てね🎬
Go check this post which explains perfectly about what JWFF, celebration of cinema truly means…
監督のみなさんへ。
本物の観客の前で作品が輝く、そんな場所があります。Japan World Film Festivalは、ただ上映して終わる映画祭ではありません。 アーティストが本気で作品と自分を前に出せる、完全に監督のためのステージです。
行政やイベント会社が作った映画祭とは違います。
続きはスレッドで