Photos: © Discomfort Wings
25th Japanese film festival Nippon Connection
Nippon Connection has celebrated its 25th anniversary on this weekend! From May 27 to June 1, 2025, the world's largest Japanese film festival has invited a six-day journey of discovery through Japan's diverse (film) culture of around 100 short and featured films of various genres.
About the festival
Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection is organized by the 100-strong, mostly volunteer team of the non-profit association Nippon Connection e.V.
It is under the patronage of the Hessian State Minister for Science and Research, Arts and Culture, Timon Gremmels, the Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, Mike Josef, and the Consulate General of Japan in Frankfurt am Main.
Since its founding in 2000, the festival has developed into the largest platform for Japanese film in the world and the film festival with the highest audience in Hesse, with around 19,000 visitors in 2024. A campaign to support the festival is running on the online platform betterplace.org.
During the festival, the audience had the unique opportunity to talk to numerous filmmakers and artists. The film programme was complemented by a variety of exciting supporting events.
In addition to workshops and lectures, concerts, exhibitions and Japanese market stalls provide insights into the art and cuisine of the island state.
Photos: © Discomfort Wings
31/05/2025
Over the last years since 2022, I introduced the event as a preview on this platform. This year, on their 25th anniversary, I was able to visit the location on my own!
Overwhelmed with the opportunities on my short trip this weekend to Frankfurt am Main, I can say you definitely need time and get an overview to the varieties of the program. Just because my amount of time was that short, I decided to stay at the Naxos Studio (main location) as well as visit the Mouson Tower location nearby.
The Naxos Studio included an amount of Japanese specialties, such as the classic onigiri rice balls and ramen, as well as matcha latte, Japanese ice, and more!
Photos: © Discomfort Wings
The location included as well a gallery of posters from 25 years, booths in the lobby, handicrafts such as printed bags and jewelry. Around 12:30, a jam session with the ambiant musician _moh, and Rap/ HipHop artists NUE and GOCCHANKO in an acoustic set was hold and let the audience dive into the old-style industrial charm of the location.
For the next time, I will for sure come with more time! The main location was a great start to get into the event for new visitors. Hope to see you next time again!