Garter Lane presents 3 fantastic films this April to celebrate the Japanese Film Festival 2026.
The Annual Japanese Film Festival is back in the Garter Lane Theatre from April 28th – April 30th. We are thrilled to showcase some of the very best of Japanese cinema with our showings of Kokuho, The Curse and Akira アキラ.
Our Festival Pass will grant you access to all 3 of the Japanese Film Festival Movies. For more information on the movie lineup, please see below.
WFFA Presents – Kokuho (JFF 2026)
28th April, 7:30pm
Aspiring teenage actor Kikuo Tachibana’s life is turned upside down when his yakuza father is killed in a raid by a rival gang. Initially hungry for revenge, Kikuo sets down a different path when he is taken under the wing of iconic kabuki actor Hanai Hanjiro II as an apprentice. Together with Hanai’s own son Shunsuke, Kikuo begins the rigorous, gruelling training to become an onnagata (a male kabuki actor who plays female characters). Kikuo and Shunsuke become inseparable, but over the years their fates diverge and their friendship is severely tested as they each navigate the cutthroat world of elite kabuki theatre.
The Curse (2025)
29th April, 7:30pm
When Riko spots some odd, disturbing online posts from her Taiwanese friend Shufen, sheattempts to intervene. She’s shocked to discover her friend actually died inmysterious,violent circumstances several months earlier. Determined to find out what happened andwhy Shufen’s social media feeds are still active, Riko starts her own investigation. It isn’tlong before strange, supernatural events soon start plaguing Riko and those around her…
Akira アキラ
Thur 30 April, 7:30pm
Akira アキラ, Katsuhiro Otomo’s cyberpunk classic, makes its welcome return to the big screen with a 4k re-release!
JFF is delighted to present this special screening of audience favourite, Akira, as part of this year’s festival. In a dystopian neo-Tokyo, Kaneda and Tetsuo are members of a vigilante biker gang. When his best friend Tetsuo is captured by the authorities after an accident, they discover he has powerful telekinetic abilities. As Tetsuo struggles with his newfound abilities, he uncovers the dark secrets of Akira – the subject of previous catastrophic experiments by the government. As Tetsuo’s newfound powers spiral out of control, Kaneda must save his best friend to prevent a new cataclysm.
