The ninth Japanese-Serbian Film Festival (JSFF) takes place from November 9th to 15th in Novi Sad and Belgrade and this year will present 70 feature-length and short films on the theme of “Cultfrontacija” (cultural confrontation), including regional, European and world premieres of Japanese titles.

As part of the “Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture 2022” project, at five different locations in Belgrade and Novi Sad, the audience will watch films in three program units: JSFF Core, EAWB (East Asia-West Balkan) and International.

Viewers will have a chance to see how the topic of cultural confrontation is tackled by Serbian authors with an authentic approach and character, including films screened at the Berlinale and other important European festivals: As Far As I Can Walks, Celts, Working Class Heroes, Dark, Without, ŽŽŽ (Želimir Žilnik Journal) and others. Due to the importance of the topic, this year, JSFF wanted to expand the discussion beyond the borders of Serbia and Japan.

New programs – International and EAWB – will screen films that had their premieres at the festivals in Cannes, Toronto and Karlovy Vary, such as Blue Jeans, A Taste of Whale and Borders of Love, and the domestic audience will have a chance to see latest titles not only from Japan but the entire region: Collection, Laurel Elegy, Merry Christmas, Yiwu and After Winter.

Short original films continue to be a hallmark of the JSFF and will also occupy a special place this year. As part of the official program marking 140 years of friendship between Serbia and Japan, JSFF has also prepared various events on the sidelines of the festival. Lovers of Japanese culture and film art will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition of young artist Natsumi Yag and the masterclass held by director Masato Ozawa.

In addition to producer Takuma Yoshida and prominent domestic film professionals, the awards jury includes well-known names of the European cinematographic scene, Slovakian producer Rudolf Biremann and Czech actress and screenwriter of the film Borders of Love Hana Wagnerova.

The audience can watch the festival program at five locations: in Novi Sad, in Novi Sad KC and in “Route 66” (Chinatown), and in Belgrade, in the Yugoslav Cinematheque, the MTS Hall and the Hall of the Cultural Center of Belgrade.

The festival was supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, Film Center Serbia, Foundation Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture, EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee, Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Serbia, Telekom Serbia, Toyo Tire Serbia, Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, Japanese Business Alliance in of Serbia (JBAS) and many others.