The Japan Film Festival – Los Angeles started out in 2003 as the Chanoma Film Festival. The festival has been a vanguard event dedicated to strengthening the general understanding of Japanese culture among American and Japanese audiences in Los Angeles.

This festival was originally created on the theme of “Chanoma”--the gathering place of a Japanese home--and showcased heartwarming films portraying the everyday life of a Japanese family. In 2008, in order to introduce Japanese film to a broader American audience and offer Japanese filmmakers inroads into the US market, the name of the festival was changed to “Japan Film Festival – Los Angeles”.

Japan Film Festival – Los Angeles will hold its 14th annual event in 2019. Although the festival is still young, it is supported by members with unlimited potential. The committee members and volunteers are passionately dedicated to making this event the best it can be.

We hope to uncover new talent in the Japanese film industry through this festival, and to promote cultural exchange between the US and Japan. With these hopes in mind, we bring you the Japan Film Festival – Los Angeles 2019.

Awards & Prizes

Award Certificates

Rules & Terms

Film created by Japanese or Japanese descent. If the film is created by a non Japanese filmmaker, the films needs to depict Japan and/ or its culture. Short movie running time is within 20 minutes. Feature film running time is within 120 minutes. With English subtitles, please. We accept fiction, documentary, and animation.
日本人による作品、又は外国人による日本に関する作品。短編２０分以内,長編１２０分以内。フィクション、ドキュメンタリー、アニメーション。英語字幕付き。