National Film Archive of Japan Calendar (April, 2025 – March, 2026)
*NFAJ will be closed on Mondays, during screening preparation, between exhibitions; Dec. 26, 2025 -Jan. 6, 2026.
*Please take a look at Note to visitors before your visit.
*Schedule and titles of the programs may change.
*Further updates on our screening and exhibition events will be announced on this page.
Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU
Cinematographer Mitsuo Miura
April 8 – May 11, 2025
Mitsuo Miura (1902-1956) created images of rich gradation and exquisite composition, turning his cinematography into ditinguished art. This program traces his technical achievement through his significant works from the silent film Ai yo jinrui to tomo ni are/ Love with Its Life (1931, dir. Yasujiro Shimazu) to his last film Neko to Shozo to futari no onna/ A Cat, Shozo, and Two Women (1956, dir. Shiro Toyoda).
Nobuo Nakagawa Retrospective
May 13 – July 6, 2025
Director Nobuo Nakagawa (1905-1984), known as the master of kaidan films (horror films) such as Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan/ The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959) and Jigoku/ Hell (1960), debuted in the silent era and devoted his entire career to entertainment films. On his 120th anniversary, this program profiles the full picuture of this filmmaker.
Repatriated Film Collection [Part 3]: Fiction Films, 1931-1944
July 15 – August 24, 2025
Following the 2024 program “Repatriated Film Collection [Part2]: Fiction Films, 1928-1945”, this program showcases the Japanese films that were repatriated from the Library of Congress between 1967 and the 1990s. Some of the prints will be shown for the first time at the National Film Archive of Japan.
47th Pia Film Festival 2025
September 6 – 20, 2025
Co-organizer: PFF General Incorporated Association
Pia Film Festival, which has been supporting young and upcoming filmmakers and introducing new talent to audiences both in Japan and overseas, now its 47th edition, holds again the “PFF Award Competition” for “self-produced films (aka Jishu-Eiga)”, special programs and screenings with film personalities as guest lecturers.
Yoshimitsu Morita Retrospective
October 14 – 26, November 4 – 23, 2025
Since the 1980s, each of the films directed by Yoshimitsu Morita (1950-2011) became the talk of the moviegoers upon their release, blurring the borders of genres such as comedy, mystery, horror, jidaigeki, idol movies, and adaptations of literary classics. Linking with the concurrently held exhibition of the same title, this program presents the multi-faceted career of this versatile filmmaker.
TIFF/NFAJ Classics (tentative)
October 28 – November 2, 2025
Co-organizer: Tokyo International Film Festival
In cooperation with the Tokyo International Film Festival, this program presents domestic or foreign films which are expected to gain international recognition.
Silent Film Days 2025 (tentative)
November 25 – 30, 2025
This program series is screened on a repertory basis with the live music accompaniment or the oral explanation of the benshi film narrator.
In Memory of Film Figures We Lost in 2023-2024
December 9 – 26, 2025, February 10 – March 22, 2026
This regular program is organized as a memorial to Japanese cineastes such as directors, actors and crew, who deceased in the last two years. This year we recognize the achievements of those who passed away between January 1 of 2023 and December 31 of 2024.
Film Treasures from the Anthology Film Archives and the Harvard Film Archive (tentative)
January 8 – February 1, 2026
This program extensively showcases the films from the collections of two FIAF members (the International Federaton of Film Archives), namely the Anthology Film Archives and the Harvard Film Archive, both of which actively collect, preserve, and screen experimental films and independent films.
As for the event “In Celebration of UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage,” please see the following page.
B1 Theatre
Films from the NFAJ Collection: Spring 2026 (tentative)
March 6 – 22, 2026 ※Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only
This program introduces the variety of the NFAJ collection.
As for the educational programs held at B1 Theatre, please see the following page.
Educational Programs
Kids’ Cinema: The Summer Vacation of 2025
July 25 – 26, August 1 – 2, 2025 @B1 Theatre
This is the program for children up to junior high school students. It intends to cultivate their aesthetic sensibility and image literacy through the wonder and joy of films on screen.
In Celebration of UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
October 4, 2025 @Nagase Memorial Theatre OZU
Celebrating UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage(October 27), this special event provides the opportunity to learn the importance of moving image preservation.
V4 Countries Kids Film Festival
December 13, 2025 @B1 Theatre
Co-organizers: The embassies and the cultural institutions of V4 countries
The V4 Kids Film Festival brings short movies from the Visegrad Four (V4: Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, and Poland) to young audiences in Japan, showcasing the unique storytelling and culture of these countries.
Gallery
Temporary Exhibitions
Film History in Posters Part 5: Animated Films
April 8 – July 27, 2025
※Closed: July 8 – 13, 2025
On the 130th anniversary of cinema, this exhibition traces the history of animation films of different ages and countries, including Hollywood cartoons, unique works from Europe, and world-famous classics of Japan, through the posters from our collection.
Film Director Yoshimitsu Morita
August 12 – November 30, 2025
※Closed: August 26 – September 5, October 7 – 12, 2025
Since the 1980s, each of the films directed by Yoshimitsu Morita (1950-2011) became the talk of the moviegoers upon their release, blurring the borders of genres such as comedy, mystery, horror, jidaigeki, idol movies, and adaptations of literary classics. This exhibition illustrates his career full of works cleverly catching the currents of the times, such as Kazoku gemu/ The Family Game (1983) and Shitsurakuen/ Lost Paradise (1997), and also presents his reevaluation of recent years.
Hollywood Masters in Photos: From the Academy Collection (tentative)
December 16, 2025 – March 22, 2026
※Closed: December 27－January 7, 2026
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, known as the organizer of its annual Academy Awards, is also an archival organization with its own film archive and library. This exhibition recalls the golden age of Hollywood through the snap shots of distinctive directors and legendary stars on sets and locations, selected from the Academy’s vast photography collections.
Permanent Exhibition
Nihon Eiga: The History of Japanese Film
From the NFAJ Non-film Collection
Japanese cinema has already had a history of over one century with two golden ages. This exhibition surveys the history through posters, still photographs, documents, cameras, the personal items that belonged to noted film personalities and other materials from the NFAJ Collection.
*Captions in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean