*KINEKO International Film Festival is BACK! *

Great news! KINEKO International Film Festival is now open to accept films. The 29th edition of KINEKO is now scheduled to take place in its usual dates in early November, in Tokyo, Japan.

In addition to films targeted at children, we have newly launched public entry of films with the target age of 13-18 years old (Teen Section).
If you are making films or have made films that you would like to submit to our film festival, please submit them through our page. We will accept films that were produced after January 2020.

Thank you and stay safe!

Sincerely,

Kineko International Film Festival Team
May 2022

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Kineko International Film Festival was founded in 1992 under its original name "Tokyo Kinder Film Festival" in partnership with the director of the Generation section at Berlinale.

KINEKO is a non-profit film festival and has become the largest film festival for children in Japan. Every November, the festival welcomes over 100,000 visitors to the screenings and other events, and media professionals, international guests and celebrities attend the festival to lead interactive workshops with children.

The festival introduces opportunities for Japanese children to foster their aesthetic sensibility by coming into contact with films and animations from all around the world and offers a variety of workshops and experiences for families to enjoy. One of the highlights and most unique features is "Live Cinema", Live Japanese Voice Over performed by professional actors, allowing even small children who cannot read subtitles yet to enjoy international films.

KINEKO is a competitive festival and the decision is made by children/teen jury and a professional jury respectively (see details below).

The festival also features year-round screenings and media literacy workshops for children around the cities of Japan.

Awards & Prizes

******AWARD DETAILS HAVE BEEN UPDATED AS OF JUNE 2022******

[CHILDREN SECTION]

Best Feature Film for Children
Selected by KINEKO Children Jury (10-12 years old) and International Professional Jury (film festival directors, educators, filmmakers, etc.). No cash prize.

Best Short Film for Children
Selected by KINEKO Children Jury (10-12 years old). No cash prize.

[TEEN SECTION]

Best Feature Film for Teens
Selected by KINEKO Teen Jury (13-18 years old) and International Professional Jury (film festival directors, educators, filmmakers, etc.). No cash prize.

Best Short Film for Teens
Selected by KINEKO Teen Jury (13-18 years old). No cash prize.

[SETAGAYA CITY AWARD]
All films screened in the competition are also eligible for the Setagaya City Award, presented by the mayor of Setagaya City, Tokyo, co-host and location of KINEKO International Film Festival.

Rules & Terms

General Public Competition Entry Requirements

"Participation Regulations"
【Production Year】 Films made after January 2020.
【Production Country】 Worldwide.
【Language】 English subtitles are required for non-English films.
【Category】 Feature/Animation/CG etc. All genres.
Produced for 1-12 year old children (Children Section)/13-18 year old teens (Teen Section).
Suitable for 1-12 year old children (Children Section)/13-18 year old teens (Teen Section).

Children Section: "Films that entertain both grownups and children together. Films that grownups want children to watch."
Teen Section: "Films with an important message for the youth who support our future. Films narrated from a youth perspective."

【Length】 Any.
【Screening Fee】 Not applicable.
Final Deadline: August 13th, 2022

※Please understand beforehand that application materials are not returnable.
※Applicant is responsible for any shipping charges.

"Selection notification"
Please note that only selected films will be contacted through email.
※We will use the email address written on the entry consent form to contact you, please make sure it is entered accurately.
3 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Bakul Matiyani

    A big thank you from the entire team of the short film "Smile Please". Such a joy to discover a festival that does so much to cater to its audience. The live translations are the stand out feature of the festival making films from different cultures accessible to the children of Japan. Makes me jealous that something like this doesn't exist in India and more countries around the world especially for children's films. Thank you for everything Kamila and the entire festival team.

    November 2022
    Helpful
  • Dilip Sood

    Thanks a lot for the selection of our film 'WHITE PEBBLE'. We were very happy and impressed with the arrangements and the courtesy by the festival staff. All the very best for the future editions.

    December 2019
    Helpful
  • Claudia Ruiz

    Is absolutly Wonderfull!!! a Cinema Party for children and family! I hope can participate the next year!

    November 2019
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