The Image Forum Festival is a festival of moving image art that brings together for screening works with a high degree of expression, artistry, and creativity. We are seeking submissions from the East Asian region, including Japan, for works to be included in the East Asian Experimental Competition.<\/p>\n
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Image Forum Festival 2026<\/p>\n
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Our purpose is to present new and truly creative moving image works, and contribute to the development and dissemination of a rich moving image culture. <\/p>\n
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January 31st (Saturday) to April 11th (Saturday), 2026 \u3000<\/p>\n East Asian Experimental Competition \u3000<\/p>\n \uff11\uff09The submitted film must have been made after January 1st, 2025. \u3000<\/p>\n Please use the online form found on our official website or directly submit the following three items to our head office. \u3000<\/p>\n There are no constraints on content or duration. However, to be accepted works must be moving images in a single\/multichannel format displayable or projectable on screens or monitors.<\/p>\n \uff11\uff09Online preview \uff12\uff09Blu-ray or DVD \uff13\uff09If your work was shot on film, please submit a telecine version using either method 1) or 2) described above. <\/p>\n \u3000<\/p>\n The results of the first and second rounds of evaluation will be released on our official website by late July, 2026. The nominated works that make it through both rounds of evaluation (approximately twenty) and selected works for the Japan Experimental section will be screened as part of one of main programs at the Image Forum Festival 2026. The final (third) evaluation will be conducted during the festival in Tokyo beginning on September 19th, and the prize winners will be announced at the Award Ceremony. The certificate and the supplementary prize will be awarded to the director of the prize winning work.<\/p>\n \u3000 \u3000 \u3000<\/p>\n Applicants agree that nominated works may be copied and used in the promotion of this festival free of charge. If still photographs from these works are not provided by the applicant they may be made and used free of charge. \u3000<\/p>\n From notification of nomination to the end of all Image Forum Festival 2026 events, the Image Forum Festival Office has first right to the use of all nominated works in Japan, and if the director would like to use the work in Japan during that time, he or she must obtain permission from this Office. However, the copyright of the works remains with the copyright holder. The 2026 Image Forum Festival will be held in Tokyo, and tour other cities in Japan. The venues will be announced on our website as soon as they have been decided.<\/p>\n \u3000<\/p>\n Image Forum Festival 2026 Office East Asian Experimental Competition Application guidelines The Image Forum Festival is a festival of moving image art that brings together for screening works with a high degree of expression, artistry, and creativity. We are seeking submissions from the East Asian region, including Japan, for works to be included in the East Asian Experimental Competition. \u3000 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1048,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"bosyu-gaiyo.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/?page_id=1033","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1054","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","en-US"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-06 06:18:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1054"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1085,"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1054\/revisions\/1085"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imageforumfestival.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n (*the online application form closes at 11:59pm JST.) <\/p>\n\u3010 Application section \u3011<\/h3>\n
\n(*including the Japan Experimental section)<\/p>\n\u3010 Submission requirements \u3011<\/h3>\n
\n\uff12\uff09The director must own the film\u2019s copyright. The director must also hold the copyright or have obtained permission from the copyright holder for all copyrighted material (music, photographs, moving images, etc.) included in the film.
\n\uff13\uff09Director do not have to meet any qualifications, but the festival is limited to filmmakers who were born or currently reside in the following regions: Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea.
\n\uff14\uff09There are no requirements concerning content, but we are looking for moving image works with a high degree of authorship, artistry, creativity, and experimentation.
\n\uff15\uff09As a basic rule, please provide Japanese or English subtitles if your work includes a language other than Japanese or English.
\n\uff16\uff09As a basic rule, works that have already been commercially screened, broadcast, sold or distributed on the Internet are ineligible for selection. <\/p>\n\u3010 Application process \u3011<\/h3>\n
\n\uff11\uff09Application form
\n\uff12\uff09\uffe52,000 submission fee
\n\uff13\uff09Work to be submitted\u3000
\n\u203bThe \uffe52,000 submission fee is required for each submitted work. If you apply using the online form, please follow the instructions for online payment. If you submit the application form by mail, please include \uffe52,000 in Japanese stamps. If you hand in your application in person, please pay in cash.
\n\u203bThere is no limit to the number of times a single individual can apply. But we ask that you fill out a separate application form for each work and record and submit each work on separate media. Please do not include any moving images\/sound not directly related to the work being submitted.
\n\u203bApplications cannot be canceled, and the submission fee will not be refunded. <\/p>\n\u3010 Format of submitted works \u3011<\/h3>\n
\nPlease upload the work to an online video sharing platform such as Vimeo or YouTube, and set the video as a password protected (unlisted) file and give us the accessible link.
\n\u203bYou cannot apply by attaching a video file directly to your email.
\n\u203bWorks that are publicly accessible are ineligible for consideration. Please use a restricted access setting or password. <\/p>\n
\nIf you are unable to upload an online preview, you can apply using a Blu-ray or DVD.
\n\u203bPlease record the video in a format that can be played by a regular home player.
\n\u203bSubmitted Blu-rays and DVDs will not be returned. Please submit a copy. <\/p>\n\u3010Evaluation process\u3011<\/h3>\n
\n\u25cfGrand Prize (1): \uffe5300,000 + Prize certificate
\n\u25cfTerayama Shuji Prize (1): \uffe5100,000 + Prize certificate
\nThe Terayama Shuji Prize is awarded to a young filmmaker. It aims to ensure the ambitious spirit of Terayama Shuji, who helped early Japanese experimental films gain traction and made film after film without submitting to existing ideas, is passed on to future generations without being forgotten. <\/small>
\n\u25cfExcellence Prize (3): \uffe530,000 + Prize certificate
\n\u25cfJapan Experimental Prize (1): \uffe530,000 + Prize certificate
\nThe \u201cJapan Experimental\u201d section, newly established to highlight the further potential of Japan\u2019s experimental film scene, selects Japanese works with a strong artistic vision from among the works that have passed the first and second rounds of evaluation in the East Asian Experimental Competition. One award will be presented to the most outstanding work.<\/small><\/p>\n
\n\u300aFinal evaluation jury\u300b
\nORIKASA Ryo (animation filmmaker\uff0fJapan)
\nHIGUCHI Yasuhito (film critic\uff0fJapan)
\nMarie LOSIER (filmmaker, curator\uff0fFrance)<\/p>\n\u3010 Use of nominated works \u3011<\/h3>\n
\nIn addition, in order to increase opportunities for the nominated works to be screened both domestically and internationally, preview links may be shared with film festival organizers both in Japan and overseas. If we receive an inquiry from a film festival regarding a particular work we will notify the creator.<\/p>\n\u3010 The right to screen nominated works \u3011<\/h3>\n
\u3010Application address \/ Contact information\u3011<\/h3>\n
\n2 Chome-10-2 Shibuya
\nShibuya-ku, Tokyo-to
\n150-0002
\ntel: 03-5766-0116 \u3000fax: 03-5466-0054
\nask2026@imageforumfestival.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"