{"id":1703,"date":"2025-09-26T17:26:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T09:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/?p=1703"},"modified":"2025-09-26T19:42:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:42:04","slug":"watch-classic-movies-hidden-gems-anime-and-more-for-free-at-the-japanese-film-festival-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/26\/watch-classic-movies-hidden-gems-anime-and-more-for-free-at-the-japanese-film-festival-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch classic movies, hidden gems, anime, and more FOR FREE at the Japanese Film Festival 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where are my fellow otakus and Japanese culture weebs? The Japan Foundation, Manila does it twice as nice this year with another Japanese Film Festival! Moviegoers can enjoy an interesting lineup of both live-action and animated Japanese films starting this month until October 26!<\/p>\n

I was lucky enough to attend the special launch last week at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall Atrium with a special program where the Director of Japan Foundation, Manila, Ben Suzuki-san, and the Acting Executive Director of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Ms. Rachelle Villaluna, discussed the event theme further to attendees. We were also formally introduced to the movie lineup with the 1995 romantic film Love Letter<\/em> opening the festivities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To celebrate the launch, there was a live-reading of love letters by the likes of actor, Mon Confiado, and other special guests with a session backed by live music. I’m glad that I was able to catch his performance and went up to say hello since the last time we met was when I co-hosted the Quezon<\/em> cast afterparty livestream.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As a special treat to attendees, we were given a themed chocolate bar, which featured the JFF poster on the packaging, care of Theo and Philo Artisan Chocolates. They also served freshly made hot chocolate to warm us up on a cold evening.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We concluded the event by heading to the cinema and finally watching Love Letter\u00a0<\/em>in 4K resolution. I’m personally looking forward to watch the other films featured.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For more deets on JFF, check out the official release:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"Japanese Film Festival 2025 (September 18 – October 26)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“The Japan Foundation, Manila is thrilled to announce the return of the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) to Philippine theaters this September 2025!<\/em><\/p>\n

From Metro Manila and Baguio, to Cebu, Angeles, and Davao, JFF is back with a curated selection of 12 films\u2013featuring beloved classics alongside critically acclaimed new releases.<\/em><\/p>\n

Admission is free for all screenings.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since its inception in 1997, JFF has grown into one of the most anticipated film festivals in the country, attracting around 40,000 audiences every year, and has become the largest Japanese film festival in the world. This year\u2019s lineup offers something for everyone; timeless romances, laugh-out-loud comedies, and monumental blockbusters!<\/em><\/p>\n

The theme for this year’s festival is \u201cBridg(e)ing\u201d. Films that serve as metaphorical bridges connecting the past with the future, humans with technology, body with spirit, and individual stories with community experiences. We hope that this year\u2019s lineup will inspire people to build bridges rather than walls and connect with each other.<\/em><\/p>\n

Opening the festival is the 4K remaster of Love Letter<\/b> (1995), Shunji Iwai\u2019s acclaimed directorial debut and a timeless masterpiece of romance. Screened in over 20 countries since its release, Love Letter is celebrated for its breathtaking snowy landscapes and the unforgettable line, Ogenki desu ka? (\u201cHow are you?\u201d). Its influence and homage can be clearly felt in 18\u00d72 Beyond Youthful Days<\/b> <\/b>(2024), a Taiwan-Japan co-production directed by Michihito Fujii.<\/em><\/p>\n

Audiences can also look forward to a selection of masterpieces spanning genres and generations, including Akira Kurosawa\u2019s SEVEN SAMURAI <\/b>(1956), the animated cult classic GHOST IN THE SHELL <\/b>(1995), Hayao Miyazaki\u2019s SPIRITED AWAY <\/b>(2001), A SAMURAI IN <\/b>TIME <\/b>(2024), the live-action adaptation of Cells at Work! <\/b>(2024), and Mobile Suit Gundam <\/b>SEED FREEDOM<\/b> (2024), among others.<\/em><\/p>\n

JFF 2025 kicks off in Manila at the Shangri-La Red Carpet Cinema starting September 18 and will continue into the regions. The regional run begins September 26 in SM City Baguio, followed by screenings at SM City Cebu, SM City Lanang, and SM City Clark. The festival then returns to Manila for screenings at the UP Film Institute, and concludes at SM City Manila.<\/em><\/p>\n

This year, JFF is expanding its reach by bringing films directly to university campuses. JFF <\/b>Special Screenings @ Universities<\/b> will take place in November at selected institutions across parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.<\/em><\/p>\n

JFF 2025 is supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines, JTI Philippines, Theo and Philo Artisan Chocolates and the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. For full schedules, ticketing guidelines, and venue details, Please visit the official JFF 2025 website (http:\/\/www.japanesefilmfestph.jfmo.org.ph<\/strong><\/span><\/a>)<\/span> or follow @jfmanila<\/strong> on Facebook and Instagram.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Special thanks to Ica of Team PCheng<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for bringing me along!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where are my fellow otakus and Japanese culture weebs? The Japan Foundation, Manila does it twice as nice this year with another Japanese Film Festival! Moviegoers can enjoy an interesting lineup of both live-action and animated Japanese films starting this month until October 26! I was lucky enough to attend the special launch last week […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1125,1121,1119,1126,1109,896,580,757,324,1133,1122,1123,1108,765,1132,1114,1112,1113,1115,1110,1111,94,1116,1118,1134,1127,390,27,309,1120,1128,1117,1124,1130,1131,275,801],"class_list":["post-1703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-a-samurai-in-time","tag-akira-kurosawa","tag-beyond-youthful-days","tag-cells-at-work","tag-culture","tag-event","tag-event-coverage","tag-fdcp","tag-film-development-council-of-the-philippines","tag-film-festival","tag-ghost-in-the-shell","tag-hayao-miyazaki","tag-japan-foundation","tag-japan-foundation-manila","tag-japanese-embassy","tag-japanese-film","tag-japanese-film-festival","tag-japanese-film-festival-2025","tag-japanese-movies","tag-jf-manila","tag-jff","tag-kraken-mae","tag-love-letter","tag-michihito-fujii","tag-miho-nakayama","tag-mobile-suit-gundam-seed-freedom","tag-mon-confiado","tag-movie-reviewer","tag-press-release","tag-seven-samurai","tag-shangri-la","tag-shunji-iwai","tag-spirited-away","tag-theo-and-philo","tag-theo-and-philo-artisan-chocolates","tag-what-to-watch","tag-where-to-go"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/blog-409B4293-B55C-4972-B087-F6D4D6173A92-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1703"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1734,"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1703\/revisions\/1734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krakenmae.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}