Japan Cuts Reveals 2026 Lineup Including Hirokazu Kore-eda, Gakuryu Ishii, Yoji Yamada, and Others

      New York certainly has an abundance of quality programming featuring Japanese cinema. Among these, one destination stands out as the most prominent. Now in its 19th year, Japan Society’s Japan Cuts has unveiled its 2026 lineup, which continues the tradition of mixing established classics with emerging filmmakers, alongside some restorations of both famous and lesser-known titles that vividly portray national cinema. The festival will kick off and conclude with Tokyo Taxi by Yoji Yamada (94 years old and with 91 films to his credit) and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Sheep in a Box, respectively.

      In terms of fresh talent, their Next Generation program includes four titles, such as the festival favorites Leave the Cat Alone and White Flowers and Fruits, while the New Directions in Japanese Cinema series supports new and emerging directors in Japan by providing nonprofit funding for short films. The animation section features the stop-motion film Junk World; The Last Blossom by Baku Kinoshita, director of Odd Taxi; and Cocoon, a project from Sasayuri, a studio established by former Ghibli artist Hitomi Tateno. However, I believe the surprise success of the festival might be SAI: Disaster, a feature-length version of the already-cult horror series by directors Gogatsu.

      The Classics segment of Japan Cuts celebrates the 50th anniversary of Kadokawa Pictures. Among the highlights is Kore-eda’s Our Little Sister, which will be presented by lead actress Suzu Hirose, who will also introduce A Pale View of Hills, the centerpiece of the main slate. Additionally, I am particularly drawn to the lesser-known W’s Tragedy, which is just one well-timed domestic release away from attaining classic status, along with two early shorts by Gakuryu Ishii: The Master of Shiatsu and Shuffle. The cult classic children’s film Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story will also be screened.

      You can find the complete lineup and purchase tickets for Japan Cuts here.