Watching Japanese movies is not only a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening. It can also be a great way to learn Japanese.
For Japanese learners in Vancouver, watching a Japanese film in a movie theatre is a chance to hear natural Japanese, experience different speaking styles and expressions, and enjoy Japanese stories and culture outside the classroom. For Japanese people living in Vancouver, it is also a wonderful opportunity to enjoy Japanese cinema on the big screen.
This fall, you do not have to travel to Japan to enjoy Japanese films.
The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is taking place from October 1 to 11, 2026, bringing more than 160 films from around the world to theatres across Vancouver. This year’s program includes several films from Japan, as well as films connected to Japanese and Japanese Canadian experiences.
Here are some Japanese and Japan related films worth checking out.
Look Back
Based on the popular manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Look Back follows two young girls, Fujino and Kyomoto, who connect through their love of drawing manga.
The film explores friendship, creativity, loss, and the role that art can play in our lives. It is a particularly interesting choice for Japanese learners who enjoy manga and anime, since you can experience Japanese dialogue alongside a story rooted in Japanese popular culture.
Look Back is in Japanese with English subtitles and runs for 100 minutes. It is rated PG.
Screenings:
October 6 at 6:00 pm, Vancouver Playhouse
October 8 at 6:15 pm, The Park Theatre
October 11 at 6:00 pm, Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
VIFF: Look Back | VIFF 2026
All of a Sudden
Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, All of a Sudden follows Marie Lou, who manages an eldercare facility in France, and Mari, a Japanese theatre director living with terminal cancer.
The film moves between French and Japanese and explores care, mortality, relationships, and the ways people connect with one another.
With a runtime of 196 minutes, this is a longer film, but it may appeal to learners who enjoy thoughtful, conversation driven stories and want to hear Japanese used alongside another language.
The film is in French and Japanese with English subtitles and is rated 18+.
Screenings:
October 4 at 8:15 pm, Vancouver Playhouse
October 10 at 1:45 pm, Vancouver Playhouse
All the Lovers in the Night
Based on Mieko Kawakami’s acclaimed novel, All the Lovers in the Night follows Fuyuko, a freelance proofreader living a quiet and solitary life in Tokyo.
Her routine begins to change after she meets a gentle physics teacher. Through their relationship, she begins to explore loneliness, intimacy, and the possibility of opening herself up to another person.
Directed by Yukiko Sode, the film is a contemporary Japanese drama that offers plenty of natural Japanese dialogue and a close look at everyday life in Tokyo.
The film is in Japanese with English subtitles and runs for 139 minutes. It is rated 18+.
Screenings:
October 2 at 3:00 pm, International Village 9
October 5 at 12:00 pm, Fifth Avenue Cinema
October 11 at 8:45 pm, International Village 10
Nagi Notes
If you are looking for a quieter Japanese film, Nagi Notes is another title to consider.
Directed by Kōji Fukada, the film takes place in the rural town of Nagi in Okayama. Yoriko, an artist who lives and teaches there, reconnects with Yuri, her former sister in law, when Yuri comes to the village to sit for a sculpture.
The film explores creativity, relationships, sexuality, identity, and the search for freedom. It is a Japanese, French, Singaporean, and Filipino co production.
Nagi Notes is in Japanese with English subtitles and runs for 110 minutes. It is rated 18+.
Screenings:
October 5 at 8:45 pm, Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
October 9 at 3:15 pm, The Park Theatre
VIFF: Nagi Notes | VIFF 2026
Our Mr. Matsura
Not all of the Japan related films at VIFF are set in Japan.
Our Mr. Matsura is a documentary about Sakae Matsura, a Japanese immigrant photographer who left Japan in 1901 and eventually settled in Washington State.
Through Matsura’s photographs, the film offers a window into Japanese immigration, local history, and life in the Pacific Northwest more than a century ago.
For anyone interested in Japanese immigration, Japanese American history, photography, or the connections between Japan and the Pacific Northwest, this could be a fascinating film to see.
The film is in English and Japanese with English subtitles and runs for 97 minutes. It is rated 18+.
Screenings:
October 4 at 5:45 pm, International Village 10
October 5 at 10:30 am, International Village 10
VIFF: Our Mr. Matsura | VIFF 2026
Official Website: Our Mr. Matsura
Send the Rain
Send the Rain is not a Japanese language film, but it has a strong connection to Japanese heritage in British Columbia.
The film follows Erika, a young Okinawan Canadian animator living in Vancouver, who travels to rural BC when her grandmother refuses to evacuate the family farm during wildfires.
As Erika tries to convince her grandmother to leave, memories reveal the family’s history, including her grandmother’s departure from Okinawa during the war and the experiences of later generations.
Written and directed by Vancouver based filmmakers Hayley Gray and Kaayla Whachell, the film offers a story about family, migration, identity, Okinawan heritage, and the meaning of home.
The film is in English and runs for 94 minutes.
Screenings:
October 2 at 6:00 pm, International Village 9
October 8 at 3:15 pm, Fifth Avenue Cinema
There will also be filmmaker Q&As at both screenings.
Tristesse
If you enjoy short films, VIFF also has Japanese short films in its program.
Tristesse, directed by Yuri Muraoka, is a 12 minute Japanese short presented as video letters to herself, dedicated to her cat Kurumi and her daughter Hana. The film captures everyday life through a personal and poetic lens.
It is in Japanese with English subtitles and is part of Short Forum 4: Immanence, A Life.
Screenings:
October 4 at 9:00 pm, International Village 8
October 5 at 1:00 pm, International Village 8
VIFF: Tristesse | VIFF 2026
Why See Japanese Films at VIFF?
For people living in Vancouver, opportunities to see contemporary Japanese cinema in a theatre can be limited.
VIFF gives audiences a chance to see films from Japan and films connected to Japanese experiences alongside cinema from around the world. Many of the Japanese language films are shown with English subtitles, making them accessible to both Japanese speakers and Japanese learners.
For Japanese learners, watching a film can also be a useful part of your Japanese study.
You can listen to how people speak in different situations, notice expressions that may not appear in textbooks, and get used to following Japanese for an extended period of time.
You do not need to understand every word.
In fact, one of the benefits of watching a film in Japanese is learning to understand the overall meaning from the context, the visuals, the characters, and the words you already know.
And of course, you can simply enjoy the movie.
Where to Watch
VIFF 2026 takes place from October 1 to 11 at venues across Vancouver, including Vancouver Playhouse, The Park Theatre, International Village, Fifth Avenue Cinema, and Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island.
Because screening times and locations vary by film, check the official VIFF page before heading to the theatre.
VIFF 2026: Official VIFF 2026 Program
Discover Japanese Cinema in Vancouver
One of the best things about learning Japanese is finding opportunities to use and experience the language outside the classroom.
This fall, VIFF offers one of those opportunities right here in Vancouver.
Whether you are a Japanese learner looking for listening practice, a Japanese speaker missing Japanese cinema, or simply someone who enjoys discovering new films, there are several interesting Japanese and Japan related films to explore.
So take a look at the VIFF 2026 lineup, choose a film that interests you, and enjoy some Japanese on the big screen.
