* 11 Rebels • 十一人の賊軍
SHIRAISHI Kazuya 白石和彌 (Japan 2024 | 155 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
In the final days of the samurai, 11 criminals can redeem themselves by defending a mountain pass at all costs. Blood is spilt and noble ideals of honour are challenged in this brutal action epic.
After the Quake アフター・ザ・クエイク
INOUE Tsuyoshi • 井上剛 (Japan | 2025 | 132 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Loosely based on MURAKAMI Haruki’s anthology, these four episodes explore the aftermath of several natural disasters and other crises, while translating some familiar Murakami tropes and whimsy to the screen.
Thu. 25-09, 16:15 & Fri. 26-09, 21:30 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Thu. 2-10, 18:45 LAB111 / Amsterdam
Aimitagai • アイミタガイ KUSANO Shogo • 草野翔吾 (Japan | 2024 | 105 min | Colour | Eng. sub.) Azusa copes with the death of her best friend Kanami by sending her texts. Kanami’s parents, who are also grieving, read the texts. A bittersweet film about the human connections that shape our lives.
Thu. 25-09, 13:30 & Sun. 28-09, 15:00 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Sun. 5-10, 17:00 LAB111 / Amsterdam * ANGRY SQUAD: Civil Servants and the Seven Swindlers • アングリースクワッド 公務員と７人の詐欺師
UEDA Shinichiro • 上田慎一郎
(Japan 2024 | 121 min | Colour | Eng. sub.) When a tax worker is swindled by a con man, the two team up to extract 1 billion yen in evaded tax payments from a corrupt businessman. Heist comedy with zany characters and elaborate schemes.
Fri. 26-09, 22:00 & Sat. 27-09, 10:00 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Fri. 3-10, 21:15 LAB111 / Amsterdam
A Pale View of Hills • 遠い山なみの光 ISHIKAWA Kei • 石川慶 (Japan 2025 | 123 min | Colour | Eng. sub.) Secrets unravel when a Japanese widow recounts her memories of 1950s postwar Nagasaki to her daughter in ‘80s England. Poignant family chronicle exploring trauma, pain, and memory.
Sat. 27-09, 10:00 & Sun. 28-09, 19:45 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Sat. 4-10, 12:00 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* BAUS: The Ship’s Voyage Continues • BAUS 映画から 船出した映画館 HOKIMOTO Sora • 甫木元空 (Japan | 2025 116 min | Colour | Eng. sub.) Epic family saga that tells the history of Japan and Japanese cinema from the early days of silent film to the recent past. We follow the stories of several generations working in a cinema.
Thu. 25-09, 21:30 & Fri. 26-09, 12:30 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Sat. 4-10, 14:45 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* Good Luck! • グッドラック ADACHI Shin • 足立紳 (Japan | 2025 105 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
An earnest road movie featuring an amateur filmmaker and his single captivated audience member. Together, the pair embark on a free-spirited journey to (re)consider the direction of their lives.
Fri. 26-09, 19:30 (Q&A) & Sun. 28-09, 17:00 (Q&A) LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Sun. 5-10, 19:15 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* Happy Life • 嬉々な生活
TANIGUCHI Yoshihiko • 谷口慈彦 (Japan | 2024 | 91 min Colour Eng. sub.) A teenager struggling to care and provide for her siblings and depressed father searches for a way out. Complex, moving drama that carefully tackles various social issues at once. Thu.
* How Dare You? • ふつうの子ども O Mipo • 呉美保 (Japan | 2025 | 96 min Colour Eng. sub.) Ten-year-old Yuishi teams up with his passionate classmate Kokoa and class troublemaker Haruto for some climate-driven mischief, but their actions have unexpected consequences.
Wed. 24-09, 19:00 (Opening) & Fri. 26-09, 19:00 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Sat. 4-10, 19:00 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* I Am Kirishima • 桐島です TAKAHASHI Banmei • 高橋伴明
* The Killer Goldfish • キラー・ゴールドフィッシュ TSUTSUMI Yukihiko
(Japan | 2024 | 94 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Several people turn up dead, seemingly murdered by suicidal goldfish, in this epic sci-fi yarn featuring psychics, Neanderthals, and reality television. Perfect for fans of MIIKE Takashi.
Thu. 25-09, 22:00 & Fri. 26-09, 10:30 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Sat. 4-10, 21:45 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* Living in Two Worlds • ぼくが生きてる、ふたつの世界 O Mipo • 呉美保
The hearing son of deaf parents,
navigates life between silence and sound. Torn between the two, he struggles with identity and belonging in a world that often fails to understand either side.
27-09, 20:00 & Sun. 28-09, 10:00 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Fri. 3-10, 16:15 LAB111 / Amsterdam So Beautiful, Wonderful and Lovely •素敵すぎ て素敵すぎて素敵すぎる OKAWARA Megumi 大河原恵 (Japan | 2025 | 67 min Colour | Eng. sub.) A heartbroken woman crashes the wedding of her ex-boyfriend. Fleeing the venue, she collides with a delivery of Castella
Fr. 26-09, 20:00 & Sat. 27-09, 15:00 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Thu. 2-10, 21:30 LAB111 / Amsterdam
- Hypnic Jerks • ネムルバカ SAKAMOTO Yugo • 阪元裕吾
17:15 & Sat. 27-09, 12:15 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
* VICISSITUDE • 郷 IJICHI Takuro • 伊地知拓郎 (Japan | 2024 | 93 min | Colour | Eng. sub.) A baseball player disappointed by the pressures of the sport returns to his childhood home and rediscovers a sense of wonder. Life is precious and fleeting in this magnificent coming-of-age drama.
Fri. 26-09, 15:00 & Sun. 28-09, 22:15 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
serene shots of Shikoku Island.
Thu. 25-09, 19:30 (Q&A) & Sun. 28-09, 14:15 (Q&A) LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Sat. 4-10, 17:15 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* Johatsu - Into Thin Air • 蒸発 MORI Arata & Andreas HARTMANN • 森あらた & アンド レアス・ハルトマン
(Germany & Japan 2024 | 86 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Thought-provoking documentary uncovers the hidden world of “evaporated people” in Japan. Investigative journalism uncovers the personal stories of those who vanish to escape their lives.
Fri. 26-09, 19:45 (Q&A) & Sat. 27-09, 14:45 (Q&A) LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Fri. 3-10, 14:15 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* Shades of Indigo •青い記憶 YOSHIDA Shigeru • ヨシダシゲル (Japan | 2024 | 117 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
An exploration of indigo dyeing in Japanese culture, the film invites us to witness through the eyes of the dyers themselves why they so passionately dedicate themselves to the craftsmanship.
Sat. 27-09, 17:00 (Q&A) & Sun. 28-09, 17:00 (Q&A) LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Sun. 5-10, 14:30 LAB111 / Amsterdam
childhood friends are bound together by Fureru, a mythical creature that allows them to read each other’s thoughts. Magical and touching anime about a friendship put to the test.
27-09, 14:45 & Sun. 28-09, 17:15 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Sun. 5-10, 16:15 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* Make a Girl •メイクアガール
YASUDA Gensho • 安田現象 (Japan | 2025 | 90 min | Colour | Eng. sub.) Akira is a high school boy, scientific prodigy, and inventor. When he experiences struggles and setbacks with his inventions, he decides to create an artificial girlfriend to help him.
Fri. 26-09, 13:45 & Sat. 27-09, 17:15 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Sat. 4-10, 17:00 LAB111 / Amsterdam
* The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe • 鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎 KOGA Go • 古賀豪
(Japan | 2023 | 104 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
Prequel to the GeGeGe no Kitaro series of anime, this phantasmagorical blend of fantasy and horror can be enjoyed by fans and newcomers alike. Based on the manga by MIZUKI Shigeru.
Sat. 27-09, 12:30 & Sun. 28-09, 14:45 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Sun. 5-10, 14:00 LAB111 / Amsterdam
*Animation Shorts
Various directors • (Japan | 92 min Colour Eng. sub.)
A selection of animated Japanese shorts curated by animation director and producer MURAKAMI Hiromitsu. This hand-picked programme explores mysterious creatures, odd locations, life and death, and more.
Thu. 25-09, 12:00 & Sun. 28-09, 22:15 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
The Burmese Harp • ビルマの竪琴 ICHIKAWA Kon • 市川崑 (Japan | 1956 | 116 min | Black & White | Eng. sub.) Antiwar classic follows a soldier who learns to play the Burmese harp. Witnessing the devastation and death caused by the war, he embarks on a Buddhist journey of redemption.
Sun. 28-09, 10:00 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Mon. 6-10, 19:45 Eye Filmmuseum / Amsterdam
(Japan 1959 105 min Black & White | Eng. sub.) A Japanese soldier with tuberculosis is abandoned and left to roam the desolate landscape of a Philippine island. A visceral and technically powerful film that reveals the bleak reality of war.
Fri. 26-09, 15:15 LantarenVenster
Obsession
(Japan | 1959 | 107 min | Colour | Eng. sub.) Brooding over his fading youth and diminishing sex drive, a middle-aged husband plots to have his daughter’s fiancé seduce his younger wife. Transgressive, psychosexual, and strangely humorous.
Sun. 28-09, 19:30 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Sun. 5-10, 12:15 LAB111 / Amsterdam
Castle of Wind and Clouds • 風雲城史
YAMAZAKI Toko
(Japan | 1928 | 68 min B&W Silent film)
A young samurai returns home after a three-year absence only to find his fiancée serving as a concubine to his lord. Rare silent jidaigeki from 1928 with stellar fight sequences.
Sat. 27-09, 19:30 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam (Screened with live music by the Rotterdam Kinematic Ensemble )
Short Films
directors (Japan | 2024 | 96 min | Colour | Eng. sub.)
A carefully curated selection of films shown at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2025 for nurturing new talent. The programme features a wide variety of styles and themes, including traditions, coming-of-age experiences, and changing relationship dynamics.
Fri. 26-09, 10:30 & Sat. 27-09, 10:15 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Kids’ Day A special afternoon for our youngest visitors aged 4+. Come experience Japanese culture through craft activities and traditional games.A selection of Japanese films will be screened and repeated on the hour during the afternoon.
Sun. 28-09, 13:00 Fenix / Rotterdam
Fri. 26-09, 13:00, €60, LantarenVenster / Rotterdam Sat. 4-10, 13:00, €60, LAB111
ding, the interesting and decorative technique for binding loose sheets of paper.
Sun. 5-10, 15:30, €45, LAB111 / Amsterdam What is Umami? - UMAMI Uncovered Through Japanese Cinema How to recognize the fifth taste, Umami? Join this workshop to find out more about the science and culture of umami cooking, which will be explored through some unforgettable moments from Japanese films.
Lecture
Sat. 27-09 & Sun. 28-09, Fenix / Rotterdam
GANBATTE by Jairo Alvarez
CAMERA JAPAN Market @ Fenix Explore culinary delights, traditional arts, crafts, workshops, tasting sessions, demos, and the Kids’ Day at our market. Whether you are in the mood for some delicious sweets and tea, or curious about Japanese martial arts, or want to wear a traditional kimono for a photo shoot—the market will have something for everyone. Une soirée avec KUMISOLO Enchanting KUMISOLO, raised in Tokyo and now based in Paris, has created her very own intriguing DIY pop universe. A playful blend of Indie/French pop tunes with hints of Shibuya-kei, wrapped in a distinct cheeky humor. Do not miss a vibrant & cinematic evening and sensory experience of sounds and images.
Sat. 27-09, 22:00 LantarenVenster / Rotterdam
Photographer Jairo Alvarez delves into the world of the salaryman, exploring the parallels and juxtapositions between Japan’s relentless work culture and its relationship to nature and spirituality.
Thu. 25-09 to Sun. 28-09, LantarenVenster, Rotterdam
Japanese Rotterdammers by IMAI Tomu The Japanese community in Rotterdam is barely visible to most of us. Photographer IMAI Tomu portrays eight Japanese