【Announcement】Kaminari JFF 2026 Submissions Are Now Open!

📣【Announcement】Kaminari JFF 2026 Submissions Are Now Open!

By Yuka Rogers

🎬 The wait is over!
We've finally updated the long-dormant (?) Kaminari Japan Film Festival YouTube channel with a brand-new video!

Check out our highlight video from the 2025 Award Ceremony, featuring this year's official selections, nominees, and winners — plus heartfelt comments from the winning filmmakers.
You can feel the energy of the festival through the screen!
▶️ Watch here: Watch here
(Don’t forget to subscribe!)

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And now...
Submissions for Kaminari JFF 2026 are officially open!
👉 https://filmfreeway.com/kaminarijapanfilmfes

This year, we’ve added two brand-new categories to our lineup of fan favorites!

🎥 Mobile Moments
For short films (under 5 minutes) shot on smartphones or tablets.
We welcome raw, emotional, and creative moments captured using everyday tools!

🌟 Debut Feature Award
A special category dedicated to first-time feature filmmakers.
A chance for emerging directors to shine on the global stage!

And of course, our most popular and exciting categories are back:

✔ Anything Goes (aka Surprise Us!)
✔ Eraserhead – Horror category
✔ Music Video
✔ Narrative & Documentary (Short + Feature)

🎯 The earlier you submit, the lower the fee — so don’t wait!

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Also, our limited-edition official Kaminari JFF T-shirts, available only at the award ceremony, were a huge hit!
New designs will be coming for 2026 – stay tuned.

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🎬 Now it's your time to shine.
Share your film with the world – we can’t wait to see what you create!
Submit now on FilmFreeway:
👉 https://filmfreeway.com/kaminarijapanfilmfes

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Kaminari JFF is a sister festival of the Japan Indies Film Festival and the Raindance Film Festival in London.

KaminariJFF2025 受賞者の声 

Indie Spirit Shines Bright – The Best of KaminariJFF 2025 光るインディーズ魂！カミナリJFF2025ベストセレクション

 

Congratulations!

　　Here is the list of winners for the 2025 Kaminari Japan Film Festival:

⭐️Best Feature Documentary　‘Sharing Aloha’-Blair Treu

⭐️Best Music Video　　‘Pieces of Central Park’-Peter Sluszka

⭐️Best Anything Goes　‘Josefine’-Antonia Bain

*Best Mobile Moments： Not awarded

*Best Eraserhead ： Not awarded

⭐️Best Narrative Short　‘Alien Guy Tim’　-Scott Simerly Jr.

*Best Short Documentary: Not awarded

⭐️Cinematic Impact Award　‘Oxplant’-chavo

⭐️Jury Special Award　‘How I Spent My Summer Vacation’ - Kenneth R. Frank

🏆Grand Prize　―Best Narrative Feature　【MADO】-MAO

For award-winning directors who are unable to attend the ceremony, we are accepting orders for trophies.　Please place your order through the link below. The price includes shipping.　Note: Orders are valid for up to two months after the awards ceremony.

https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/TAWANGKQ63RZW

From Zero to Spotlight: How Kaminari Japan Film Festival Illuminates Hidden Talents Worldwide

Why was the Kaminari Film Festival born?

In 2015, I suddenly fell seriously ill and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. As I lay in the hospital bed, I thought, "This is it. I've lived selfishly, and now I'm going to die."

But I survived. And in that moment, I made a decision: if I had been given more time, I wouldn't waste it. I would pursue what I truly wanted to do. One of those dreams was making a film.

Upon my release, I immediately began working on a film project. I raised the funds through crowdfunding, and the film was completed. I wanted as many people as possible to see it. But how could an unknown, low-budget director promote a film without spending money?

I thought: what if I submitted it to film festivals? If I could win an award, the media might cover the film without a single advertising yen spent.

There are tens of thousands of festivals worldwide. I submitted to several I had heard of. But of course, it wasn't that easy. I couldn't even make it into the top tier, let alone win.

Frustrated, I wondered: Are foreign filmmakers in Japan just ignored by the local industry?

Through conversations with other directors and friends with festival experience, I learned that timing, jury connections, and past awards heavily influence results. Even with a great film, without industry ties, one remains invisible.

My wife, tired of my constant frustration, said, "Why don't you start your own festival and give your film an award?" Maybe she just wanted me to stop complaining. But I thought, she's right!

There are countless independent filmmakers with low budgets and no industry ties just like me. Why not create a space for them? A new platform for those shut out by the traditional system.

In the beginning, I co-hosted a festival with partners experienced in event management. However, disagreements led us to part ways.

Five years ago, I decided to start a new festival—one dedicated to creativity over budget. A festival for independent filmmakers producing quality work with minimal resources.

And so, the Kaminari Japan Film Festival was born.

Just as we launched, the pandemic forced us into online-only screenings. Then, when COVID finally subsided, I myself suffered a stroke.

I'm still in rehabilitation. My physical condition doesn't allow me to attend the festival or manage logistics. But I continue this festival with one hope: that one day, I will once again meet creators from around the world at the venue.

"We want to amplify films not driven by commercial interests."

Kaminari Japan Film Festival keeps entry fees low and open to emerging filmmakers. Our genres include:

• Eraserhead (Horror)

• Music Videos

• Anything Goes (Surprise Us!)

• Documentaries

• The new Mobile Moments category

• Dramas

We continually evolve, adding new categories to reflect the times.

This Year's Highlights

This year, we received 252 submissions from 35 countries. From those, we hand-picked six outstanding works for screening.

Your feedback as an audience member might inspire the next great film.

Join us at a small theater in Daikanyama, where unnamed talents from across the globe gather.

Date: Monday, June 9, 2025
Screenings from: 3:30 PM
Awards Ceremony from: 8:30 PM
Venue: Theatre Guild Daikanyama
Sanroze Daikanyama B1, 11-6 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Ticket Reservations: [https://theaterguild.co/movie/detail/KamimariJapanFilmFestival2025/]

この記事の日本語版はこちらに掲載

 https://note.com/eiga_express/n/nfba68cf04851

Kaminari JFF 2025 Screening Program – Monday, June 9th ６月９日(月)プログラム

 

09 June, 2025

Kaminari Japan Film Festival
TheaterGuild Daikanyama

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15:30　開演
15:35　ANYTHING GOES　‘JOSEFINE’　14'20"
15:50　SHORT FILM　‘WATER BRINGS HOPE’　20'32"
16:10　DOCUMENTARY FEATURES　‘SHARING ALOHA’　95'06"
17:45　休憩
18:00　SHORT FILM　‘OXPLANT’　19'00"
18:20　MUSIC VIDEO　‘PIECES OF CENTRAL PARK’　04'15"
18:25　SHORT FILM　‘ALIEN GUY TIM’　14'00"
18:45　FEATURE FILM　‘MADO / 窓’　82'30"
20:10　休憩
20:30　授賞式・記念写真撮影・歓談

The nominated works for the 2025 Kaminari Japan Film Festival ノミネート&オフィシャルセレクション(2025)

 

The nominated works for the 2025 Kaminari Japan Film Festival have been decided.

The award-winning works will be announced at the awards ceremony held at Theatre Guild Daikanyama on June 9th.

Anything Goes Nominees エニシングゴーズ ノミネート作品:

• "Josefine" - Antonia Bain

• "Torii" - Martin Gerigk

Music Video Nominees 音楽ビデオ ノミネート作品:

• "Moral Support" - Vuk Jevremovic

• "Pieces of Central Park" - Peter Sluszka

Best Short Documentary Nominees ドキュメンタリー短編 ノミネート作品:

• "The Discoverer of the Discoverers" - C. S. Nicholson

Best Feature Documentary Nominees ドキュメンタリー長編 ノミネート作品:

• "Mexico Day Zero" - Gisela Magadan

• "Where the trees bear meat" - Alexis Franco

• "Sharing Aloha" - Blair Treu

Best Short Nominees 短編 ノミネート作品:

• "FISHED" - Shaneye Ferrell

• "Ipu Pogh Kikönöt: Water Brings Hope" - Tom Maher

• "Oxplant" - chavo

• "Storm & Stress" - Wouter Wirth

• "Alien Guy Tim" - Scott Simerly Jr.

Best Feature Nominees 長編 ノミネート作品:

• "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" - Kenneth R. Frank

• "[MADO] 窓" - MAO

• "The End of Nowhere" - Peter Mattei

Official Selects:

Anything Goes Select エニシングゴーズ オフィシャルセレクト作品:

• "METAI" - Laura Dičiūnaitė

• "Sonder" - RJ Muna

• "Godcasting" - Florent Agostini

Eraserhead (Best Horror) Select イレーサーヘッド ホラー セレクト作品:

• "Run Over" - Vincent Soberano, Hengyou Jen

• "Vlog" - Tomoaki Niwayama

Music Video Select 音楽ビデオ セレクト作品:

• "Nivatak - 'New Romance’" - Ignatius Rake

Mobile Moments モバイルモーメンツ

• No Selected Titles 対象作品なし

Short Select 短編 オフィシャルセレクト作品:

• "Interfuit それはかつてあったから" - Shun Arima

• "JUST 5 MINUTES" - MAXWELL WANG

• "Brim Broome Boulevard" - PJ Magerko-Liquorice

• "Thoughts Become Things" - Marquedelle Philip Rodriguez

• "Apocalyptic Sound / 世界の音が聞こえたら" - Kazuki Watanabe

• "Far Away / 遠く離れて" - Shimpei Kuroda

• "An Buachaill Nua (the new boy)" - Diarmuid Timmons

• "The taste of smoke" – Narihiro Kato

Short Documentary Selects ドキュメンタリー短編 オフィシャルセレクト作品:

• "Encountering the Village" - Violet Lee, Bella Gao, Anna Xie

• "When The Blossoms Fade" - Tamiko Potts

• "Foodlife: Farming for a Sustainable Future" - Kyle Hufford

Best Feature Documentary Selects ドキュメンタリー長編 オフィシャルセレクト作品:

• "The alchemist's dance" - Arantxa Vela

• "日本 – アブルッツォ　見えない絆" - Alessia Ambrosini

Best Feature Selects 長編ストーリー オフィシャルセレクト作品:

• "Water Lilies" - Chanho LEE

🎬 Kaminari Japan Film Festival 2025 – Ticket Sales Now Open!

 We’re excited to announce that Kaminari Japan Film Festival 2025 (Kaminari JFF 2025) is coming soon!

Join us on Monday, June 9th, starting at 3:30 PM, at Theater Guild in Daikanyama, Tokyo.

We will be screening award-winning films along with a carefully selected lineup of nominated works.

✨ 1-Day Passes are now available!
Get your ticket here:
▶︎ https://theaterguild.co/movie/detail/KamimariJapanFilmFestival2025/

Seating is limited, so we highly recommend booking your ticket early!

We will announce the detailed screening schedule and full list of nominated films soon on this blog—stay tuned!

🎥 Film submissions are still open until May 10th!
There's still time to submit your work!
Submit here:
▶︎ https://filmfreeway.com/thegoodthebadthecheapo

Kaminari Japan Film Festival 2025】 チケット販売スタート！

 今年も Kaminari Japan Film Festival 2025（カミナリJFF2025） の開催が近づいてきました！

6月9日（月）15時30分開演、代官山・シアターギルドにて、受賞作品と厳選されたノミネート作品を上映します。

✨ 1日入場券の販売がスタートしました！
チケット詳細・ご購入はこちらから：
▶︎ https://theaterguild.co/movie/detail/KamimariJapanFilmFestival2025/

座席数には限りがございますので、ぜひお早めにご予約ください！

上映スケジュールやノミネート作品の詳細情報は、後日当ブログにてお知らせいたします。どうぞお楽しみに！

🎬 なお、作品エントリーは5月10日まで受付中！
まだ間に合いますので、インディーズ映画制作者の皆さま、ぜひご応募ください！
▶︎ エントリーはこちらから：https://filmfreeway.com/thegoodthebadthecheapo