The Japanese Film Festival (JFF) returns from 10th September to 19th October, happening at selected GSC cinemas across Malaysia. The 2025 edition of JFF will showcase a lineup of 13 films with a variety of genres, with visitors even being able to join a special JFF Stamp Rally for a chance to redeem exclusive goods and prizes.
This year, the festival will open with “Sunset Sunrise” (2025), a film by KISHI Yoshiyuki that won the Audience Choice Award at Chicago’s Asian Pop-up Cinema (2025). Visitors will also be able to delve into a literal feast with culinary movies like “Northern Food Story”, and “The Solitary Gourmet”. Check out a complete list of features below:
Cells at Work! (はたらく細胞)
Dir. TAKEUCHI Hideki 武内英樹 / 2024 / 110 min / 13 / Action, Comedy
Ever wondered what’s going on with the intricate workings inside your body? This live-action take on the hit manga series Cells at Work! reimagines the human body as a bustling metropolis populated by 37 trillion cells.
A rookie red blood cell and a ruthless white blood/neutrophil cell are just two inhabitants of high schooler Niko’s body, and the duo must fight together to keep their human alive—one immune system emergency and bacterial invasion at a time! Quirky, and over-the-top, this chaotic adventure follows the shenanigans of the microscopic crews inside Niko’s body, as they work tirelessly to keep her going.
SHOWTIME 7 (ショウタイムセブン)
Dir. WATANABE Kazutaka 渡辺一貴/ 2025 / 99 min / 13 / Suspense
When an anonymous caller phones in a bomb threat to his radio show, presenter Shinnosuke Orimoto dismisses the call as a hoax. Minutes later, a nearby power plant explodes and Orimoto is thrown into the role of emergency negotiator.
ANGRY SQUAD: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers (アングリー・スクワッド 公務員と7人の詐欺師)
Dir. UEDA Shinichiro 上田慎一郎/ 2024 / 121 min / 13 / Drama
Straight-laced civil servant Kumazawa must realign his moral compass when the hunt for a tax evader lands him in cahoots with a professional con artist and his ragtag group of accomplices.
6 Lying University Students (六人の嘘つきな大学生)
Dir. SATOH Yuichi 佐藤 祐市 / 2024 / 115 min / 13 / Drama, Suspense
Six high-achieving university students make it to the final round of recruitment for an elite tech company. But an intricate web of manipulation and deception will soon push them far beyond the limits of a typical job interview.
Teasing Master Takagi-san (からかい上手の高木さん)
Dir. IMAIZUMI Rikiya 今泉力哉 / 2024 / 120 min / P12 / Romance
Nishikata, a physical education teacher at a middle school on a small island, receives a phone call from an ex school-mate, Takagi-san, who moved to Paris 10 years ago. When Nishikata was attending middle school, he was always teased by Takagi-san.
One day, the vice principal of the school, appoints Nishikata to be in charge of a new trainee teacher. After school, when Nishikata returns to the classroom and opens the door to the cleaning supplies compartment, Takagi-san jumps out from inside. From this moment, the time between the two of them, which had stopped since the summer of their junior high school, begins to move…
366 DAYS (366日)
Dir. SHINJYOU Takehiko 新城毅彦/ 2025 / 123 min / 13 / Romance, Drama
It’s 2003, and a love story spanning decades has just begun. Highschooler Miu and senior student Minato dream of a life beyond their sleepy Okinawan town, and when a MiniDisc jumble brings them together, the pair bond over their shared love of music. Meanwhile, Miu’s loyal best friend, Ryusei, quietly looks on as romantic sparks fly.
But when Miu follows Minato to Tokyo after graduation, she is soon met by the harsh realities of city life. Unexpected circumstances drive the couple apart, and years later, Miu’s daughter is left to piece together the untold stories of her mother’s past.
PETALS AND MEMORIES (花まんま)
Dir. MAEDA Tetsu前田哲 / 2025 / 119 min / P12 / Drama
Set in Osaka, the story follows siblings Toshiki and Fumiko, who lost their parents early on. Toshiki promised their late father he would always protect his little sister. Taking on the role of both parent and brother, Toshiki dropped out of high school to work at a local factory to support them both.
Now, Fumiko has grown and the day of her wedding is drawing near. As Toshiki watches the happy couple he can’t help but grumble, all while feeling a sense of relief. He rehearses his speech for Fumiko’s big day, when an unsettling realization creeps in: Fumiko holds the memories of a woman who died in an incident.
SEVEN SAMURAI (七人の侍)
Dir. KUROSAWA Akira黒澤明 / 1954 / 208 min / 16 / Classic
Kurosawa Akira’s 1954 classic SEVEN SAMURAI tells the tale of feudal class and warfare in ancient Japan. A village under fire from bandits calls on seven swordsmen wandering the countryside to help rid them of marauders threatening to destroy their village. With the aid of the elder samurai Shimada Kanbei and six other fellow mercenaries with no status or income, the village prepares to battle the anonymous threat on horseback, while battling the bitterness they keep for their hired swordsmen.
At The Bench (アット・ザ・ベンチ)
Dir. OKUYAMA Yoshiyuki奥山由之 / 2024 / 87 min / P12 / Drama
At a riverside bench, two childhood friends reunite after a long time, and engage in a casual conversation that hints at a budding romance as the sunset dimly lights their true feelings. Yoshiyuki Okuyama, one of Japan’s leading photographers, makes his directorial debut in collaboration with the production house behind “Perfect Days.” Featuring an all-star ensemble cast, the film unfolds across five stories of families and lovers set on a riverside bench in Tokyo.
Sunset Sunrise (サンセット・サンライズ)
Dir. KISHI Yoshiyuki岸善幸 / 2025 / 140 min / 13 / Drama, Comedy
The year is 2020, and measures against COVID-19 are starting to affect life all over Japan. But for one enthusiastic Tokyoite, the ‘new normal’ brings a thrilling opportunity. Young salaryman Shinsaku decides to work remotely and moves to a small town on the Sanriku Coast of Miyagi Prefecture, where he rents an empty house from wary landlord Momoka. Surrounded by the stunning nature of Tōhoku, Shinsaku spends his days fishing and discovering the charm of his new neighbourhood. But as scars from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami remain fresh, can the territorial locals accept him as one of their own?
Northern Food Story (北の食景)
Dir. UESUGI Tetsuya上杉哲也 / 2024 / 103 min / U / Documentary
“Northern Food Story” is a food documentary film set in Hokkaido, portraying the culinary landscapes woven by four chefs and the changing seasons.The film captures the daily lives of chefs in Japan’s northern land, as they explore their unique culinary paths, alongside the farmers, citizens and culture that surround them. This film was selected as one of five films to be screened in the Culinary Cinema section of the 72nd San Sebastián International Film, where it had its world premiere.
The Solitary Gourmet (孤独のグルメ)
Dir. MATSUSHIGE Yutaka松重 豊 / 2025 / 110 min / P12 / Drama, Family
The adventures of a travelling salesman, Gorō Inogashira, who travels Japan, where he visits various restaurants and street booths to sample the local cuisine. Ever eager to try something new, this foodie’s curiosity sometimes lands him in unexpected trouble. In this movie, we will see him travelling internationally for business and his search to delight his palate.
Tasked with the seemingly impossible challenge of uncovering the secret ingredients of a mysterious soup no one has ever heard of, his investigation leads him on a flavour-filled adventure to not only discover its recipe but also persuade the elusive chef to take up the ladle once more.
Diamonds in the Sand
Dir. Janus VICTORIAジャヌス・ビクトリア/ 2024 / 102 min / 13 / Drama
Yoji is a divorced Japanese salaryman living alone in Tokyo. After the loss of his caring mother, he faces an empty life without any meaningful relationship. A chance encounter with Minerva, a Filipina who works as a caregiver in Japan to support her daughter, prompts Yoji to look at his situation in a new light.
Meanwhile, he discovers the decomposing body of an elderly neighbour, whose name he doesn’t know, and whose death is ruled to be from loneliness. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, Yoji throws caution to the wind and follows Minerva to Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
Apart from the main film screenings, the festival will also feature a 3-day filmmaking workshop for local film students organised by The Japan Foundation of Kuala Lumpur; as well as free screenings for Northern Food Story and Diamonds in the Sand, happening at GSC MyTown on 10 September.
For more information, visit GSC’s official website.
