The 30th Japanese Film Festival is set to take place in South Africa this October and November, offering audiences the opportunity to enjoy a range of Japanese films. Organized by the Embassy of Japan in partnership with the Japan Foundation, the event will run across four locations, including Pretoria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Stellenbosch. Entry is free, but seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
The festival opens on October 24th at Lier Theatre, located on the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield campus. The first screening, Show Me the Way to the Station, starts at 6:00 p.m. The film tells the story of an eight-year-old girl who refuses to accept the loss of her pet dog and finds an unlikely companion in an elderly man. On October 25th, four intricately shot stop-motion animation films by Takeshi Yashiro will be shown.
Ster-Kinekor at Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria will also host screenings on October 26th and 27th. Audiences can watch Only the Cat Knows, a drama about an elderly couple reevaluating their relationship, and Restaurant from the Sky, which tells the tale of a cattle rancher in Hokkaido with dreams of opening a restaurant.
In Cape Town, Neelsie Cinema at Stellenbosch University will screen films on November 1st and 2nd, featuring the same line-up of stop-motion films, Show Me the Way to the Station, Only the Cat Knows, and Restaurant from the Sky.
Johannesburg’s Bioscope Independent Cinema will host the final leg of the festival from November 8th to 10th, presenting stop-motion animations and other feature films.
| Location | Day | Date | Time | Film | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lier Theatre, University of Pretoria | Thur | 24 Oct. | 18:00 | Show Me the Way to the Station | 125 min (2h05) |
| Fri | 25 Oct. | 18:00 | Stop motion animation films by Takeshi Yashiro | 106 min (1h46) | |
| Ster-Kinekor at Brooklyn Mall, Pretoria | Sat | 26 Oct. | 10:30 | Only the Cat Knows | 105 min (1h45) |
| Sun | 27 Oct. | 10:30 | Restaurant from the Sky | 126 min (2h06) | |
| Neelsie Cinema, Stellenbosch University | Fri | 1 Nov. | 14:30 | Only the Cat Knows | 105 min (1h45) |
| Fri | 1 Nov. | 16:55 | Show Me the Way to the Station | 125 min (2h05) | |
| Sat | 2 Nov. | 12:30 | Stop motion animation films by Takeshi Yashiro | 106 min (1h46) | |
| Sat | 2 Nov. | 14:50 | Restaurant from the Sky | 126 min (2h06) | |
| The Bioscope, Johannesburg | Fri | 8 Nov. | 19:00 | Stop motion animation films by Takeshi Yashiro | 106 min (1h46) |
| Sat | 9 Nov. | 10:30 | Show Me the Way to the Station | 125 min (2h05) | |
| Sat | 9 Nov. | 14:00 | Restaurant from the Sky | 126 min (2h06) | |
| Sun | 10 Nov. | 14:00 | Only the Cat Knows | 105 min (1h45) |
Note:
- Bookings for Lier Theatre can be made at bit.ly/JFF24UP.
- Tickets for Ster-Kinekor are available at the box office one hour before screenings on a first-come, first-served basis.
- For Neelsie Cinema, bookings can be made at https://qkt.io/SpUlDj.
- For The Bioscope, bookings can be made at www.thebioscope.co.za/japanese-film-festival.
