Boston Japan Film Festival 2025
Join us in Bldg 32-123 from 1pm on Sunday, 11/30/2025! We are celebrating our 15th anniversary at MIT, returning to our roots as a platform for dialogue between Japan and the U.S. through film.
Founded in 2011 in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, BJFF was born as “a platform for dialogue between Japan and the U.S. through film.”
This milestone year, themed “From Journalism to Dialogue,” highlights the power of visual storytelling to question, connect, and inspire — presenting films that explore how journalism can spark dialogue and reflection.
BJFF 2025 will feature:
- “Quoth The Raven, ‘Nevermore’” and an exclusive early look at “The Nuclear Family” by filmmaker and visual journalist Ari Beser, who has long documented the stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors.
- ” Where are all the journalists? Ugaya is here !”, following a journalist who continues to report from Fukushima years after the nuclear disaster.
- “JAPAN LIES: The Photojournalism of Kikujiro Fukushima, Age 90”, portraying the life and spirit of the legendary photojournalist Kikujiro Fukushima.
Following the screenings, a panel discussion will be held under the themes “From Visual Journalism to Dialogue” and “Integrity of Journalism in the Age of AI.”Panelists include journalist Hiromichi Ugaya and documentary filmmaker Ari Beser, moderated by the MIT Japan Program.
As a new initiative this year, the Student Film Section will present “The Dream of a Fallen Egg,” a CG animation created by a seventh-grade student. Additionally, as a special visual installation, we will screen “The Way of Sacred Harmony (Kan’nagara no Michi),” a film depicting the Japanese spirit of living in harmony with nature.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will feature a raffle with a chance to win round-trip tickets to Japan, Japanese food and light refreshments, and a networking reception.
Join us for an inspiring cultural and intellectual exchange between Japan and the U.S. through the power of cinema.
