Image Forum Festival (イメージフォーラム・フェスティバル)

Image Forum Festival

イメージフォーラム・フェスティバル

Also known as: IFF
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Image Forum Festival focuses on experimental moving images, combining an East Asian competition with international programmes and filmmaker retrospectives. Organised by Image Forum in Tokyo, it dates back to 1987 and follows the organisation’s underground and experimental film showcases. Its competition accepts work by filmmakers born or based in Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and South Korea, without restrictions on duration. The programme also includes expanded cinema and live film performance.

The 2026 Tokyo dates are 19–25 September at Theatre Image Forum and Terayama Shuji, with touring screenings in Kyoto, Nagoya and Hiroshima. The Fukuoka presentation is cancelled. The edition includes the Japan Experimental section alongside the East Asian Experimental Competition.

Country

Japan

Focus

Experimental

Categories

Experimental

Awards and prizes

2026: Grand Prize — one award of JPY 300,000 and a certificate; Terayama Shuji Prize — one award of JPY 100,000 and a certificate, for a young filmmaker; Excellence Prize — three awards of JPY 30,000 and a certificate each; Japan Experimental Prize — one award of JPY 30,000 and a certificate. An Audience Choice Prize is also selected by audience voting.

Festival rules

2026 East Asian Experimental Competition (including Japan Experimental): works must be made after 1 January 2025. Directors must be born or currently reside in Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan or South Korea and hold the necessary rights to the work and all included material. There are no content or duration limits; single- and multichannel moving-image works must be displayable or projectable on screens or monitors. Japanese or English subtitles are generally required for other languages. Commercially screened, broadcast, sold or publicly distributed online works are generally ineligible. Submit a restricted-access online preview, or a Blu-ray/DVD; film-originated works require a digital telecine. The application fee is JPY 2,000 per work and is non-refundable. Separate applications are required for multiple works. Nominated works may be used for festival publicity and preview links shared with other festivals. Until the end of the 2026 festival tour, nominated works require festival-office permission for other use in Japan; copyright remains with its holder.

Contacts

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