Earlier this week, The Japan Foundation, Manila posted on Facebook about the upcoming Japanese Film Festival (JFF), teasing, “This will be a MONSTER of a festival.”

Pinoy movie fans were quick to comment in response to the hint, guessing that one of the featured flicks could be the 2023 kaiju hit Godzilla Minus One or the highly acclaimed film from the same year Monster. Well, it turns out that both titles (and more!) are included in this year’s Japanese Film Festival. 

While screening schedules and venues have yet to be announced, you can already start planning your festival watchlist. From award winners to anime fan favorites, here are all the movies that you can catch at Eiga Sai 2025:

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki

What it is about: In postwar Japan, a guilt-ridden kamikaze pilot is trying to start his life anew, when he is faced with his biggest battle yet: Standing up against the infamous Godzilla.

Add it to your watchlist if: You are a Godzilla fan, love found family tropes, or are simply curious about all the hype around Godzilla. Watching this cinematic masterpiece of a monster film on the big screen will certainly elevate your viewing experience tenfold. The winner of the Best Visual Effects Award at the 96th Academy Awards, it is also hailed by fans as one of the best Godzilla films of all time! 

Perfect Days (2023)

Director: Wim Wenders
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano

What it is about: Take a glimpse into the life of a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, who, in his spare time, enjoys his passion for books and music. A 76th Cannes Film Festival entry, it competed for the coveted Palme d’Or, ultimately winning the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Best Actor Award for veteran actor Koji Yakusho. 

Add it to your watchlist if: You enjoy introspective slice-of-life films and good music. Perfect Days — just as its title suggests — is the kind of film that will make you see (and believe in) the beauty life offers, even in the most mundane circumstances and encounters. 

Akira (1988)

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Starring: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama

What it is about: This cult classic animated film is set in what its creators from the 1980s imagined the Japanese capital would be like in the year 2019 as a sprawling futuristic megalopolis. It follows young biker gang leader Kaneda as he navigates through chaos stemming from human experimentation, military unrest, and superhuman powers. 

Add it to your watchlist if: You’re a massive cyberpunk genre craving the thrill of action and sci-fi. Highly praised for its state-of-the-art animation, compelling narrative, and unique aesthetic, it’s considered one of the most influential animated films of all time. Really now — when else would you be able to catch this iconic film on the big screen?

Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle (2024)

Director: Susumu Mitsunaka
Starring: Ayumu Murase, Kaito Ishikawa, Yuuki Kaji

What it is about: Protagonist Shoyo Hinata joins Karasuno High School’s volleyball team to be like his idol, the Little Giant. However, he realizes that doing so would mean teaming up with his former rival Tobio Kageyama.

Add it to your watchlist if: You are an avid fan of the Haikyu!! anime series or manga. An exciting sports action movie, it’s best caught with fellow fans of the show to cheer on your favorite orange-and-black-clad team. 

Sand Land (2023)

Director: YOKOSHIMA Toshihisa
Starring: TAMAMURA Mutsumi, YAMAJI Kazuhiro

What it is about: Borne out of the creative mind of the late great mangaka Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump), Sand Land is an animated fantasy adventure that follows the mischievous but pure-hearted Fiend Prince, Beelzebub, who forms a trio with a demon named Thief and a human sheriff, Rao, in search of the Legendary Spring hidden somewhere in the desert. 

Add it to your watchlist if: You’re up for an otherworldly animated movie filled with laughs and friendly characters. 

DitO (2024)

Director: Takashi Yuki
Starring: Takashi Yuki, Momoko Tanabe, Machiko Ono

What it is about: Actor Takashi Yuki’s directorial debut is a co-production with the Philippines. It tells the story of Eiji Kamiyama, a has-been professional boxer, who attempts to make a comeback in the Philippines, leaving behind his wife and children. 

Add it to your watchlist if: You’re interested in sports dramas with a father-daughter theme. And, oh, you might like seeing familiar faces in the film, too!

Let’s Go Karaoke (2024)

Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita
Starring: Go Ayano, Jun Saito

What it is about: A yakuza seeks the help of a 14-year-old choir club leader to avoid losing in his gang’s karaoke contest with a painfully embarrassing punishment — getting a bad tattoo selected by the boss himself. 

Add it to your watchlist if: You’d love to see how the beloved manga series by Yama Wayama is brought to life through the stellar performances of the main cast — that, and if you love heartwarming comedies. 

Our Secret Diary (2023)

Director: Kentaro Takemura
Starring: Fumiya Takahashi, Hiyori Sakurada

What it is about: A misdelivered confession message from high school heartthrob Setoyama sends broadcast club member Nozomi to a series of young love hijinks.

Add it to your watchlist if: You’re a sucker for kilig stories with an enemies-to-lovers trope. 

The Imaginary (2023)

Director: Yoshiyuki Momose
Starring: Kokoro Terada, Rio Suzuki, Sakura Ando

What it is about: Another fantasy adventure film in this year’s JFF lineup, The Imaginary will sweep you off to a color-filled journey alongside  Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger. However, a terrible accident threatens the link between the two. 

Add it to your watchlist if: You enjoy animated films that awaken the child in you. 

Matched (2024)

Director: Eiji Uchida
Starring: Tao Tsuchiya, Daisuke Sakuya, Nobuaki Kaneko

What it is about: A wedding planner matches with a charismatic man on a dating app. Unbeknownst to her, she has fallen into the trap of a psychopath tagged as a suspect in the murders of her clients. 

Add it to your watchlist if: You’re in the mood for a suspense-thriller. The movie’s theme song from Aimer also slaps. 

Under The Open Sky (2021)

Director: Miwa Nishikawa
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Taiga Nakano, Masami Nagasawa

What it is about: An ex-yakuza hardened by his 13-year prison sentence for murder gets another shot at life. But with his rash personality and deeply ingrained beliefs, he struggles to integrate back into society and develop his relationships with those who truly want to help him. 

Add it to your watchlist if: You are a fan of well-acted hard-hitting dramas backed by intensive research. Writer and director Miwa Nishikawa spent time interviewing organized crime members to weave this story inspired by the 1990 Ryozo Saki novel Mibuncho.

Monster (2023)

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring: Sakura Ando, Nagayama Eita, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi

What it is about: A mother demands to know the reason behind the sudden change in the behavior of her son. In seeking the truth, their lives might just take an unexpected turn.

Add it to your watchlist if: You’re a fan of unpredictable plots and mind-bending twists. Monster is regarded as one of the best works of acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda and master storyteller Yuji Sakamoto, who won the Best Screenplay Award for this very film at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

For more information and updates on the Philippine leg of the Japanese Film Festival 2025, visit the event’s official website.

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