Japan Cuts 2026 has unveiled its full lineup for the 19th edition of North America’s largest Japanese film festival, with Ishikawa Kei’s “A Pale View of Hills” – an adaptation of Nobel Prize laureate Kazuo Ishiguro‘s debut novel – serving as centerpiece and Kore-eda Hirokazu‘s “Sheep in the Box” closing the festival following its world premiere at Cannes.
The festival runs July 8–18 at the Japan Society, with global technology company Canon joining as title sponsor for the first time.
Ishikawa’s film, a Japanese-British-Polish co-production that had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, stars Hirose Suzu and Yoshida Yoh as the same character at different points in time, tracing a woman’s postwar memories across 30 years. The festival will honor Hirose with the 2026 Cut Above Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film at the July 13 centerpiece screening, which also includes a Q&A and reception. Hirose will also appear to introduce a revival screening of Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Our Little Sister” – the film that marked her breakthrough – with the festival asking attendees to refrain from requesting photos or autographs at either event.
Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Sheep in the Box,” which had its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, screens July 18 as the closing night film, with the director attending in person for a Q&A and reception. The science-fiction parable stars Ayase Haruka, Yamamoto Daigo and Kuwaki Rimu as a grieving couple who adopt an AI-powered robot built in the image of their dead son.
The festival opens July 8 with the East Coast premiere of “Tokyo Taxi,” veteran director Yamada Yoji’s remake of the French film “Driving Madeleine.” The film marks Yamada’s 91st feature, reuniting him with longtime collaborator Baisho Chieko alongside Kimura Takuya and Aoi Yu.
Among the competition and premiere titles, Uchida Eiji’s “Night Flower” and Nagai Akira’s “Suzuki=Bakudan” both arrive with Japanese Academy Award credentials. Morita Misato earned Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Night Flower,” in which she plays a struggling kickboxer who forms an unlikely bond with a debt-fugitive mother in Tokyo’s criminal margins. Sato Jiro took Best Supporting Actor for “Suzuki=Bakudan,” adapted from a bestselling novel about a mysterious drunk who claims to predict bomb attacks and plays games of riddled wits with the police.
The documentary “Diamond Diplomacy,” directed by Yuriko Gamo Romer, traces the history of baseball as a cultural conduit between the U.S. and Japan – from the sport’s earliest introduction to the country through to the global rise of Shohei Ohtani. The July 15 New York premiere will include a Q&A with Romer, author Robert Fitts and MLB legend Masanori “Mashi” Murakami – the first Japanese player in the MLB – followed by an autograph signing with Murakami.
On the animation front, “Cocoon” – a 60-minute NHK-commissioned work directed by Ina Yukimitsu and produced by Sasayuri, a studio founded by Studio Ghibli alum Tateno Hitomi – makes its North American premiere. Based on Kyo Machiko’s wartime manga, the film centers on the Himeyuri students, young girls who were compelled to support the Japanese army on Okinawa during World War II. Also screening in animation are Kinoshita Baku’s “The Last Blossom” – from the director of the anime series “Odd Taxi” – and Hori Takahide’s stop-motion feature “Junk World,” a U.S. premiere prequel to his 2017 “Junk Head.”
Uchiyama Takuya’s “Numb,” starring Kitamura Takumi, Miyazawa Rie and Nagase Masatoshi, screens in North American premiere, as does Joe Odagiri surreal comedy “Gosh!!” – based on Odagiri’s own TV series – and Kimura Satoshi’s deadpan coming-of-age comedy “Yoyogi Johnny.”
Matsui Daigo’s “Rewrite,” a time-loop narrative paying homage to the classic of Japanese literature “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time,” receives its U.S. premiere, alongside Nagahisa Makoto’s “Burn” and Anshul Chauhan’s “Tiger,” the latter a socially conscious drama excavating the pressures placed on queer existence in Japan.
The festival’s New Directions in Japanese Cinema strand, produced in partnership with VIPO, presents four short films receiving their international premieres: Yashiro Natsuka’s “A Wavy Girl,” Tsujii Shun’s “An Overflow,” Kamobayashi Tomonari’s “The End of What Goes Around” and Nakada Ere’s “The Woman Who Repeats.” All screen July 14 as a free ticketed program.
A Next Generation section highlights emerging Japanese talent across five features competing for a $3,000 prize funded by VIPO: Tanaka Miki’s “Ginger Boy,” Shigaya Daisuke’s “Leave the Cat Alone,” Nakazato Fuku’s “Naomi Out of Sync,” Iwakura Ryuichi’s “Brand New Love” and Sakamoto Yukari’s “White Flowers and Fruits.”
The archival component includes world premieres of 4K restorations of two Gakuryu Ishii shorts, “Shuffle” (1981) and “The Master of Shiatsu” (1981), as well as an international premiere of a 4K restoration of Yakushimaru Hiroko vehicle “W’s Tragedy” (1984) and a new 4K restoration of Kadokawa Haruki’s cult film “Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story” (1993).
“Nearly two decades ago, Japan Cuts began with a simple belief: that Japanese storytellers deserved a bigger stage in America,” said Joshua W. Walker Ph.D, president and CEO of Japan Society.
“Canon has long been committed to the art of visual storytelling, and Japan Cuts represents the creativity, craftsmanship, and the power of images to connect people across cultures,” said Sammy Kobayashi, president and CEO of Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Japan Cuts 2026 is programmed by Peter Tatara, director of film at Japan Society, and Alexander Fee, the organization’s film programmer.
AloJapan.com