THE TORONTO JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR ITS 15TH EDITION!
The Toronto Japanese Film Festival showcases the finest Japanese films that have been recognized for excellence by Japanese audiences and critics, international film festival audiences, and the Japanese Film Academy. Now in its 15th year, the 2026 festival will feature 24 films in the Kobayashi Hall from June 11 to June 26!
The festival opens with the Canadian Premiere of YAMADA Yoji’s award-winning TOKYO TAXI [TOKYO タクシー], a heartwarming celebration of life’s enduring joys and sorrows in the ever-evolving metropolis of Tokyo. Adapted from the Belgian-French film, Driving Madeleine, it is the 91st film from 93-year-old director YAMADA Yoji, who has long been a meticulous observer of the essence of life in Japan.
The Japan Foundation, Toronto is proud to support this year’s TJFF. In particular, we are excited to be the Screening Sponsor of the two films: ISHII Yuya’s ONE LAST LOVE LETTER [人はなぜラブレターを書くのか], based on a true Tokyo subway disaster; SEKI Kazuaki’s BLANK CANVAS: MY SO-CALLED ARTIST’S JOURNEY [かくかくしかじか], a comic drama about a young aspiring manga artist.
ONE LAST LOVE LETTER
Director ISHII Yuya in attendance!
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026 @ 1:00pm
In 2024, Nazuna, who runs a small diner, writes a letter to the young man she once loved from afar. Twenty-four years earlier, at 17, she secretly admired Shinsuke, a high school student she saw each day on the train. While attending school, Shinsuke also pursued his dream of becoming a professional boxer. They begin to form an unspoken connection until, on March 8, 2000, Shinsuke is killed in the tragic Naka-Meguro train disaster.
When Nazuna’s letter reaches Shinsuke’s family, his father Ryuji discovers tender traces of the son he lost: glimpses of his youth, longing, and inner life he had never known. As Ryuji begins writing back, an intimate exchange of memory and grief unfolds.
A moving reflection on loss, remembrance, and the invisible bonds that endure, the film turns private sorrow into a deeply human story of love and grace. Inspired by a miraculous true story.
North American Premiere
© 2026 “One Last Love Letter” Film Partners
BLANK CANVAS: MY SO-CALLED ARTIST’S JOURNEY
Date: Saturday, June 20, 2026 @ 1:00pm
From the moment Akiko discovers manga as a child, she dreams of becoming a manga artist. Confident that talent and ambition will carry her forward, she enrolls in an art class expecting an easy path to success. Instead, Akiko finds herself under the watchful eye of Hidaka, an eccentric, bamboo-sword-wielding art instructor devoted to classical painting and unimpressed by manga. Intimidated but challenged, Akiko must learn to trust her own voice and fight for the future she wants.
Adapted from HIGASHIMURA Akiko’s autobiographical manga, the film is a funny and sharply observed coming-of-age story about mentorship, friendship, and creative awakening. Layered performances and a witty script help balance a reverence for fine art traditions with the exuberance of manga culture.
Toronto Premiere
©Akiko Higashimura/SHUEISHA
©2025 FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK, INC./ Warner Bros./ S・D・P/ HIGASHIMURA PRODUCTION All rights reserved
Tickets for all the screenings are on sale now! Please see below for more information on the film line-up.
