Opening · Film and live music
Masashi Hasegawa will perform live alongside a film with audio that he created.
Boston Japan Film Festival 2026
2026
Sunday
11:00–18:00 EST
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT Stata Center · 32-123 (Venue tentative)
32 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
2026 ThemeSPACESF TO REAL
Film, Reflection, and Dialogue
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Photo: John Phelan / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 · Edited to remove people
PROGRAM
Planned films
- Festival begins
- Festival ends
- EST
Screening times, final screening versions and guest details will be announced when confirmed.
Program highlights
The Mysteries of the Sun
A special mini lecture by Professor Mahboubeh Asgari-Targhi, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo.
Space Food Talk
Space Mackerel Can
Space Business Story Sessions
ispace, inc. / Mitsubishi Corporation
Video message from director Yozo Hirano
The program will include a recorded message from the director of Why I Went to Space. Placement will be announced when confirmed. The film itself runs 89 minutes.
Panel Discussion · From SF to REAL
With Masami Onoda, Director, International Relations and Research Department, JAXA. Moderated by Chris Pilcavage.
About BJFF
Read our storyA place where film creates new dialogue and connections.
Boston Japan Film Festival (BJFF) is a place where Japanese culture is shared through film, creating new dialogue and connections between Japan and the United States. Through encounters with diverse values and perspectives, we nurture mutual understanding and exchange that can lead to greater harmony and a more peaceful future.
BJFF 2026
A one-day festival exploring SPACE through film and conversation.
01
Film Screenings
Explore the tentative lineup, from Galaxy Express 999 and short films to Why I Went to Space.
02
Dialogue
Post-screening conversations invite multiple perspectives rather than a predetermined conclusion.
03
Suggested Donation
Advance registration will be available through Eventbrite. Details will be announced later.
04
Attendance Guidance
Capacity, same-day attendance, and re-entry guidance will be announced after confirmation.
Festival Information
Save the date.
- Date
- Sunday, November 29, 2026
- Venue
- MIT Stata Center · 32-123 (Venue tentative)
32 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 - Admission
- Suggested Donation
- Registration
- Eventbrite
Opening date to be announced - Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible venue
The festival takes place from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST (Boston time). Doors-opening details and the full program will be announced when confirmed.
Since 2011
Explore our historyFrom a small response to crisis, to an ongoing space for exchange.
BJFF began in 2011, in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, as a small film festival created to convey the situation in Japan to Boston. Today, it continues to connect people through film, cultural exchange, and dialogue.
A verified year-by-year archive is in preparation. Additional records and historical images will be added after review and permissions.
Support BJFF 2026
Help create a meaningful meeting point between Japan and Boston.
BJFF 2026 welcomes conversations about financial sponsorship and in-kind support. Detailed sponsorship levels and benefits are still being developed.
Start a conversationFinancial Sponsorship
Support festival presentation, venue, production, screening, and guest-related needs.
In-Kind Support
Contribute products, services, equipment, hospitality, or other resources aligned with the event.