The Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation, in partnership with Ster-Kinekor, are bringing the Japanese Film Festival – Africa Tour 2026 (#JFFAT) to South Africa for the first time. The festival, which is free, will present five acclaimed Japanese films over four days in October – 02, 09, 16 & 17, with all screenings taking place exclusively at Ster-Kinekor Mall of Africa in Midrand.
Presented by the Japan Foundation, the JFF Africa Tour is a special initiative distinct from the Embassy of Japan’s annual Japanese Film Festival. Through culture, language and dialogue, the Japan Foundation fosters friendship, trust and mutual understanding between Japan and countries around the world.
All the films in the festival are free, with tickets available at the Ster-Kinekor Mall of Africa box office from one hour before each screening, on a first come, first served basis, and subject to availability.
The film festival launches on Friday 02 October with the exclusive screening of Godzilla Minus One at 19:00. This Academy Award winner for Best Visual Effects is a touching, spectacular new commemoration of the 70th anniversary of what Guinness World Records describes as “the longest continuously running film franchise” in the world.
Godzilla Minus One, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Godzilla series, stars Kamiki Ryunosuke, Hamabe Minami, Yamada Yuki, Aoki Munetaka, Yoshioka Hidetaka, Ando Sakura and Sasaki Kuranosuke. A guilt-ridden pilot, Shikijima Koichi, finds new strength and courage to stand up against Godzilla by helping a young woman, Oish Noriko and the little orphan girl in her care. It has been hailed by many reviewers and legions of worldwide fans as one of the best Godzilla movies to date.
The next blockbuster film in the franchise, and Filmed For IMAX, is the upcoming Godzilla Minus Zero, which releases in Ster-Kinekor IMAX cinemas nationally on 06 November.
When the weather falls apart, can the love of a young boy and girl change the world around them just by looking up at the sky and making a wish? This is the question asked in the next film in the #JFFAT line-up, You Weathering with You, which screens on Friday 09 October at 19:00.
Weathering with You by Shinkai Makoto, one of Japan’s leading animation directors, is a feature-length film with breathtaking visuals. From scenes of rainfall and cloud formation to daylight and the city streets of Tokyo, the film consistently offers realistic, beautiful imagery set against the theme of climate change and the universal experience of extreme weather: a common theme relatable to audiences around the world. The film follows Hodaka, a young schoolboy who runs away from his island home to Tokyo. Making his way there by ferry he meets Keisuke, a happy-go-lucky writer who saves Hodaka from the rough seas. With no money or a place to stay, Hodaka befriends Hina, a girl who can change the weather by praying. With the action set to a soaring soundtrack by Japanese rock band RADWIMPS, the film is a rollercoaster of emotion as it follows the two youngsters trying to make a difference in a world threatened by climate change.
Stand by Me Doraemon is the next title and is scheduled to screen on Friday 16 October at 19:00. Doraemon is a cat-type robot sent from the future to help Nobita, an elementary school student, in a tale of friendship and growth. This 3DCG film adaptation tells the tale of Nobita, who struggles at school, and Doraemon who reaches for his 4D pocket to make his every wish come true. Doraemon is a national icon in Japan, which originated in a manga that has sold over 100 million copies together with an animated series that has been broadcast in more than 60 countries.
The final day of the festival, Saturday 17 October, features two films and an on-screen talk by one of the film’s producers. First up, screening at 14:00, is Poupelle of Chimney Town, the tale of a boy and a man made of garbage, who are determined to prove that a world exists beyond the smoke-filled sky. This animated fantasy adventure about self-belief and curiosity tells the story of Lubicchi and the townsfolk of Chimney Town constantly cloaked in a dreary blanket of smoke. When a mysterious figure of a man made of garbage turns up unannounced on Halloween, he turns the lives of everyone in Chimney Town upside down. Christening his unexpected guest Poupelle, after one of his father’s picture cards, Lubicchi and his new friend embark on a quest to prove everyone wrong and show that life really does exist outside the smoke – where the night sky is filled with stars and the promise of a brighter future.
Special Guest Talk: Producer Eiko Tanaka on 17 October at 15:40 – gain insight into the world of Japanese animation and filmmaking with renowned producer Eiko Tanaka, whose work has helped bring some of Japan’s most celebrated animated films to audiences around the world.
The final film in the festival, screening at 17:30 on 17 October, is Chimney Town: Frozen in Time. When all sense of time has been lost, only hope can restart the gears. There is a time to mourn and a time to move on, but what if a broken heart doesn’t know when, or how? After the loss of his best friend Poupelle (Kubota Masataka), young Lubicchi (Nagase Yuzuna) finds himself transported to the Millennium Fortress – a mysterious realm that controls the flow of time. Guided by a smart-mouthed cat named Fluff (Megumi), Lubicchi seeks help from the rat queen, Hora (Tsuchiya Anna), who reveals that the only way back to his own world is by repairing a grand clock at the heart of the fortress. Produced by STUDIO4ºC (Mind Game, Children of the Sea), this unexpectedly profound fantasy adventure expands the world of Poupelle of Chimney Town with a captivating and colourful new chapter.
JFFAT 2026 film screening schedule:
| DATE / TIME | TITLE |
| 02 Oct – 19:00 | Film: Godzilla Minus One |
| 09 Oct – 19:00 | Film: Weathering with You |
| 16 Oct – 19:00 | Film: Stand by Me Doraemon |
| 17 Oct – 14:00 | Film: Poupelle of Chimney Town |
| 17 Oct – 15:40 | Talk: Producer Eiko Tanaka |
| 17 Oct – 17:30 | Film: Chimney Town: Frozen in Time |
#DoMoviesRight #sterkinekor #JapaneseFilmFestival #JFFAT2026
