Japanese Film Festival 2026 at GSC
What is the Japanese Film Festival 2026?
Image credit: JFF Theatre via Website
Organised by The Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur, the Japanese Film Festival is an annual celebration of Japanese cinema held at selected GSC locations nationwide.
The festival brings a mix of contemporary releases, box-office hits, anime, comedies, and restored classics to Malaysian audiences. All movies are screened in Japanese with English subtitles, giving moviegoers a glimpse into the country’s culture through stories on the big screen.
Where to catch Japanese Film Festival 2026 screenings?
The Japanese Film Festival 2026 will travel to 7 GSC locations across 5 regions in Malaysia. Klang Valley moviegoers will get an entire week of screenings, while the festival will span 4 days in each of the other states in the country, including Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
Here’s when and where you can catch the screenings:
| Region | GSC Location | Screening dates |
| Klang Valley | GSC Mid Valley, GSC MyTOWN & GSC 1 Utama | 10th–16th September 2026 |
| Penang | GSC Gurney Plaza | 17th–20th September 2026 |
| Johor Bahru | GSC Paradigm Mall JB | 24th–27th September 2026 |
| Kuching | GSC CityONE Megamall | 8th–11th October 2026 |
| Kota Kinabalu | GSC Suria Sabah | 15th–18th October 2026 |
What can I watch at the Japanese Film Festival 2026?
The first four titles screening at the Japanese Film Festival 2026 have been revealed, spanning contemporary dramas, animation and a remastered Japanese classic. All films will be screened in Japanese with English subtitles.
Tokyo Taxi
Image credit: Tokyo International Film Festival via Website
A single taxi ride brings together two strangers in Tokyo Taxi, a 2025 drama directed by Yoji Yamada. The film stars Takuya Kimura and Chieko Baisho as a taxi driver and his elderly passenger, whose journey through Tokyo gradually reveals the lives they have led.
The 104-minute film was selected as the centrepiece of the 2025 Tokyo International Film Festival and has also screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival and International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Bring Him Down to a Portable Size
Image credit: MUBI via Website
Directed by Ryota Nakano, Bring Him Down to a Portable Size follows an unconventional family forced to reckon with a man who proves difficult to love yet impossible to forget.
The 127-minute drama stars Ko Shibasaki, Joe Odagiri and Hikari Mitsushima. It was featured in the Open Cinema programme at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival and the Gala Selection at the 2025 Tokyo International Film Festival.
Chimney Town: Frozen in Time
Image credit: Melbourne International Film Festival via Website
Animation fans can look forward to Chimney Town: Frozen in Time, the latest chapter in the fantasy adventure series set in the mechanical world of Chimney Town.
Directed by Yusuke Hirota, the 98-minute film follows a promise and a journey to find someone after time mysteriously comes to a halt. Its Japanese voice cast includes Yuzuna Nagase, Masataka Kubota and Megumi.
Hula Girls (4K Remastered)
Image credit: IMDB via Website
The festival will bring the award-winning Hula Girls back to cinemas in a restored 4K format. Set against the decline of Japan’s coal-mining industry, the 2006 film follows a group of women who learn hula dancing in an attempt to revive their struggling town.
Directed by Lee Sang-il, the 121-minute drama stars Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa and Yu Aoi. It previously screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.
How to get tickets to the Japanese Film Festival?
Tickets to the Japanese Film Festival 2026 are priced at RM10 per screening. Sales will begin one week before the festival opens in each region, with tickets available through participating GSC cinemas.
Stream Japanese movies for free on JFF Theatre
Image credit: JFF Theatre via Website
Those who would like to start their Japanese movie marathon before September can do so through JFF Theater, The Japan Foundation’s free streaming platform for Japanese films.
The current selection includes fantasy drama The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, calligraphy comedy Shodo Girls!!, mystery thriller Erased, and time-loop romance The 100th Love with You. These movies will remain available and free to watch until 5th August 2026.
Image Credit: IMDb via Website
Viewers will have slightly longer to catch bathhouse comedy YUDO and sports comedy Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t, which are streaming until 2nd September. Meanwhile, both parts of the supernatural fantasy Sagrada Reset will remain online until 7th October.
The movies can be streamed for free after creating your own account over at the Japan Foundation KL’s official website. New selections are introduced monthly, with English, Malay, and Chinese subtitles available, so viewers can keep returning to discover more Japanese films.
Celebrate Japanese cinema in Malaysia with JFF 2026
Whether you prefer settling into a cinema seat or discovering a new favourite from the comfort of home, JFF 2026 offers more than one way to step into the world of Japanese storytelling.
The cinema lineup, ticket prices, and booking details for the Japanese film screenings at these GSC locations have yet to be announced, so keep an eye on The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur’s social media pages for updates. Until then, consider the free movies on JFF Theater your warm-up for the festival.
Cover image adapted from: JFF Theatre via Website, Mid Valley Megamall via Website