Popular anime classic film Akira and eight live-action movies are set to screen at theatres in Kolkata as part of the annual Japanese Film Festival, scheduled from 23 to 25 January, the organisers said on Tuesday.
The film festival will take place at PVR, South City Mall in Kolkata.
On 23 January, the film Angry Squad: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers will be screened from 6.30pm. The 1988 anime classic Akira, the 2025 film Petals and Memories, Showtime 7, and The Boy and the Dog will hit the big screen on 24 January.
A live-action adaptation of the anime Teasing Master Takagi-san, 6 Lying University Students, 366 Days and Sunset Sunrise are set to be a part of the lineup on 25 January.
“Kolkata, get ready for a cinematic journey. The Japanese Film Festival film schedule for Kolkata is now here,” the organisers wrote on Instagram.
The film festival premiered in India in 2017. It toured 7 cities back in 2019 for the first time. A curated line-up of 25 films were screened, which included films like Your Name, Shoplifters and Weathering with You.
The event celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Japan in 2022. In that year, the festival focused on the works of filmmaker Makoto Shinkai, whose films were brought to the big screen in India after anime fans all over the country signed a petition in 2019. The festival went on to screen six feature films by Shinkai and also included the film versions of two RADWIMPS concerts.
After the reception of the Shinkai films in theatres, JFF brought the filmmaker’s latest film Suzume to the big screen in 2023 for anime fans in India.
The festival expanded to cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and Guwahati in 2024. They also collaborated with Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!! in Delhi for the first time last year for a lineup dedicated to anime films. They also hosted a special screening of the film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (English Version).
This year, too, the film festival is set to team up with Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!!, marking their second collaboration.
