Are you interested in Japanese movies (with English subtitles!) and culture? Do you want to try delicious food and learn more about Japanese tea and sake? Then you can’t miss out on the CAMERA JAPAN Festival, which will take place in Rotterdam (September 25-29) and Amsterdam (October 3-6).

Japanese film, visual arts, music, dance, fashion, architecture, food and more

CAMERA JAPAN is a Japanese cultural festival organised in Rotterdam and Amsterdam every year since 2006. The main focus is on film, but it also explores the visual arts, music, dance, fashion, architecture, food, and much more. It's grown into the biggest Japanese film festival in the Benelux region!

Besides watching more than 40 films, you can take part in all kinds of workshops (ranging from calligraphy to flower composition), and tea tastings. You can also bring your children along to the Kids Day. 

Film programme at CAMERA JAPAN

The festival opens at WORM in Rotterdam on September 25 with a screening of an underground Japanese film. In 2024, this is last year's micro-budget award-winner Alien’s Daydream, and is followed by a magnetic piece of performance art by Japanese, Berlin-based Tot Onyx. 

In addition to the launch film, there are usually around 50 other films on the programme, and the festival often has European premiers of new Japanese films for you to enjoy! 

Lectures, workshops and exhibitions at CAMERA JAPAN

Besides offering a rich variety of Japanese films, the festival also includes several cultural and culinary workshops and photo exhibitions. Typical workshops consist of arts such as flower composition, calligraphy, tea tastings and sake tastings. On Sunday in Rotterdam, there is a special event for children called Kids Day. Kids can take part in activities such as making their very own Uchiwa fan, learning how to write their own name in Japanese and watching a selection of short animated movies.

Dates and tickets

The 19th edition of CAMERA JAPAN Festival will take place in Rotterdam at the end of September and in Amsterdam at the beginning of October.

• Rotterdam, September 25-29, 2024 at WORM and LantarenVenster.
• Amsterdam, October 3-6, 2024 at LAB111.

Book your tickets to CAMERA JAPAN

Both venues are in the heart of the cities and easily accessible by public transport. 

Once the programme for 2024 is released, you can check out the lineup and book your tickets on the CAMERA JAPAN website. Start your journey in discovering the weird and wonderful films, art, music, dance and fashion from Japan!