The Embassy of Japan in Rwanda, in collaboration with the Centre Culturel Francophone du Rwanda, opened the second Japanese Film Festival in Kigali on October 21, bringing a selection of Japanese films to local audiences.
The festival runs from October 21 to 24 at the Centre Culturel Francophone du Rwanda and celebrates the diversity of Japanese cinema while promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the peoples of Japan and Rwanda.
Japan’s Ambassador to Rwanda, Kazuyu Nakajo, officially opened the festival, which features four films spanning contemporary drama, animation, fantasy and adventure. France’s Ambassador to Rwanda, Aurélie Royet-Gounin, was among those who attended the opening.
The festival opened with Komada: A Whisky Family, a 2023 film directed by Yoshihara Masayuki. The programme continued with She Taught Me Serendipity, directed by Ohku Akiko, on October 22. The remaining screenings on October 24 feature Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and The Real You, directed by Ishii Yuya.
About the opening film
Komada: A Whisky Family is a Japanese animated film screened in Japanese with English subtitles. It follows Rui, a young woman who takes over her family’s whisky distillery and attempts to revive Koma, the family’s signature whisky brand, whose production halted years earlier.
Passed down through generations, the whisky represents happiness and shared family memories. Rui faces several challenges as she tries to restart production, including a lack of information and the financial resources needed to bring the brand back.
The story also follows Kotaro, a young editor for an online news platform who visits the distillery to report on Japanese craft whisky. As Rui works to revive the brand, Kotaro and others supporting the distillery join her efforts to restore Koma and preserve the family’s legacy.
Nakajo said the four films were carefully selected in collaboration with the Centre Culturel Francophone du Rwanda, taking into account the limited number of films that could be screened.
"We wanted to appeal particularly to young people, given Rwanda's youthful population. We therefore chose films that would resonate with the younger generation,” he said.
He added that the festival aims to bring audiences together through shared values, sentiments and experiences.
"Our goal is to create new opportunities for collaboration between Rwanda and Japan,” Nakajo said.
"Rwanda is a country with many ideas and diverse social experiences that can be explored through film. By combining Japanese technology, methodologies and expertise with the creativity of Rwanda's young talent, we can develop new works together.”
Royet-Gounin also underscored the role of cinema in promoting cultural exchange, bringing people together and fostering mutual understanding.
She said films offer more than entertainment, as they stimulate debate, introduce new ideas and encourage aesthetic reflection.
The French ambassador also highlighted cinema’s cultural and economic significance, noting that the industry creates opportunities for professionals in acting, directing, sound and cinematography, among other fields.
"We believe cinema is an industry. It is important and has an impact on both the cultural and economic life of countries,” she said, adding that the French Embassy was pleased to contribute to the development of the sector.
The first Japanese Film Festival in Kigali was held in December 2025 and featured Akira, the 1988 animated film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. Set in a rebuilt Tokyo in 2019 following the destruction caused by World War III, the film follows Kaneda, a biker gang leader, and his friend Tetsuo.