25 Years Of Nippon Connection: Japanese Film Festival Celebrates Anniversary

 From May 27 to June 1, 2025, at nine locations in Frankfurt am Main, Germany / Nippon Rising Star Award goes to Kosuke Hayashi / Thematic focus “Obsessions – From Passion To Madness” 

Nippon Connection is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Frankfurt am Main, Germany! From May 27 to June 1, 2025, the world's largest Japanese film festival is offering an invitation to a six-day journey of discovery through the diverse (film) culture of Japan. Visitors can look forward to around 100 short and feature-length films from a wide range of genres. From current blockbusters and animated films to independent and documentary films, the majority of the works shown will be celebrating their German, European, or international premiere at the festival. During the festival, the audience will have the unique opportunity to talk to numerous filmmakers and artists arriving from Japan and learn more about their work. The film program is complemented by a variety of exciting cultural events, including workshops and lectures. In addition, concerts, exhibitions, and Japanese market stalls will provide insights into the art and cuisine of the island nation.

This year’s guest of honor will be artist Kosuke Hayashi, who will receive the Nippon Rising Star Award at the festival on June 1, 2025. The award is dedicated to up-and-coming talent in the Japanese film scene. Kosuke Hayashi most recently worked as a background artist on Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning film “The Boy And The Heron”. As art director, he was responsible for the backgrounds of numerous well-known animated films such as “The Imaginary” by Yoshiyuki Momose and “In This Corner Of The World” by Sunao Katabuchi. Nippon Connection is not only honoring an artist who has helped create some of the most highly regarded anime of recent years, but also intends to recognize the frequently overlooked art form of anime backgrounds. 

The festival’s thematic focus this year is Obsessions – From Passion To Madness. The program critically examines the positive and negative manifestations of obsession within Japanese society and discusses social phenomena that can result from the obsessive pursuit of perfection, performance, and tradition. The thematic focus is supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain.

A first highlight of the film program is Hideki Takeuchi's action-packed comedy Cells At Work!, which is currently thrilling audiences in Japan and will celebrate its German premiere at the festival. The director, known for his successful cinematic endeavors “Thermae Romae” and “Fly Me To The Saitama”, embarks on an adventurous journey through the human body in his latest film.

A special attraction of the cultural program will be a concert by Japanese girl rock band ЯeaL. The band gained international attention primarily through their powerful theme songs for well-known anime series such as “Gintama”, “Pokémon”, and “BORUTO”. ЯeaL will perform as part of the festival on May 28, 2025 at the International Theater Frankfurt.

To mark the anniversary of Nippon Connection, a panel will take a look back at the festival's 25-year history. The renowned Kinema Club Conference will also take place as part of the festival, focusing on Japanese cinema of the last 25 years. The Kinema Club Conference is taking place for the third time at the Nippon Connection Film Festival and is one of the most important international academic events on film and media from Japan.

At the heart of the festival are the two festival centers, Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm and Produktionshaus NAXOS, featuring numerous Japanese market and food stalls. Additional events will take place at the cinema of the DFF –Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum as well as the Cinéma Arthouse Kino, Mal Seh’n Kino, International Theater Frankfurt, Pupille Kino, NaxosAtelier, and Saalbau Bornheim.

The complete program and tickets will be available on the festival website as of May 3, 2025.

Hotel partners offer special conditions for a stay during the festival.

About The Festival

The Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection is organized by the approximately 100-member, largely voluntary team of the non-profit association Nippon Connection e.V.  It is under the patronage of Hessian State Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts Timon Gremmels, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main Mike Josef, and the Consulate General of Japan in Frankfurt am Main. Since its founding in 2000, Nippon Connection has become the world’s largest platform for Japanese cinema and the most popular film festival in Hesse with around 19,000 visitors in 2024.

Further information about the history of the festival can be found on the website.