The 9th Ibusuki Film Festival will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2026.
The venue is the Ibusuki Civic Hall, with the opening scheduled for 12:00 noon.
Submissions for nominated films will open today, March 1, 2026, at 6:00 PM.
The submission deadline is Wednesday, June 10, 2026, with the announcement of nominated films scheduled for **Wednesday, July 1**.
The 9th Ibusuki Film Festival will be held with the following details.
From the main entrance of the Ibusuki Civic Hall to the lobby, directors, cast members, and related personnel of the nominated works will enter via the red carpet we have laid out.
Subsequently, attendees will also walk the red carpet upon entry.
Following this, we will film the opening ceremony, greetings from directors and actors, proceedings, and the awards ceremony inside the venue for live streaming.
The live stream will be limited to footage of the entrance process in the lobby and the venue interior; the films themselves will not be streamed domestically.
However, we plan to stream the nominated films in high definition for an international audience via a separate stream.
The reason for streaming the nominated films internationally is the proven track record of films submitted to, nominated for, and screened at the Ibusuki Film Festival. These films consistently receive very high praise each year, subsequently winning numerous awards both domestically and internationally, and gaining renown overseas.
Regarding domestic streaming, we have consistently received requests from directors and other creators to limit screenings to venues with cinema-quality screens equivalent to those in theaters. Therefore, we kindly ask those wishing to view the nominated films to visit the Ibusuki Film Festival venue to watch them.
The impetus for planning the global streaming of Ibusuki Film Festival nominees came from inquiries received late last year from Paris, France, and Croatia regarding screening opportunities. We were surprised yet encouraged by the realization that the Ibusuki Film Festival is now known even to audiences in distant Europe, sensing great potential. We truly feel that “the world is watching the Ibusuki Film Festival.”
If overseas audiences show interest in specific films, we believe this holds great significance for the films, directors, and production teams, potentially leading to future opportunities.
We plan to inform the aforementioned Paris production team, the Croatian producer, overseas business contacts we've made, and individuals living abroad about these live streams. We hope to spread the word as widely as possible so that many people can watch.
The real-time broadcast schedule is as follows:
Japan Time: 12:00 PM ~
Europe (Paris/Croatia): 5:00 AM ~ (Dinner time)
US: Previous night (8:00 PM ~ 11:00 PM) ~
Asia: Morning ~ Noon ~ (Nearly real-time)
Furthermore, since real-time viewing often conflicts with daily schedules in Europe and the US, an edited rebroadcast is scheduled to begin one week after the live stream ends, starting at 12:00 PM on Sunday, October 11.
Rebroadcast times are as follows:
Europe (Paris/Croatia): 5:00 AM
US: Previous night (8:00 PM - 11:00 PM)
For domestic viewers, the broadcast will feature footage from the Ibusuki Film Festival venue, including the opening ceremony, greetings and introductions from directors and producers, the announcement of award-winning films, the awards ceremony, and acceptance speeches by the winning directors and recipients. This excludes the screenings of nominated films.
While MCs on stage and film introductions will be filmed and broadcast, the screen images will not be shown. Therefore, the actual films themselves will not be viewable.
During the screening times for nominated works within the venue, we plan to broadcast behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes related to the production of the films, along with making-of footage, trailers, and greeting videos from actors and directors provided after the nominations were decided.
Additionally, if there are theme songs or insert songs, we also intend to include these in the broadcast.
Furthermore, we hope to introduce distinctive landscapes, tourist spots, and local specialties of Ibusuki and Kagoshima to audiences both domestically and internationally.
We also plan to hold a market event in the lobby on the day, and footage of this event may be filmed and streamed.
We will announce further details on this website and our social media channels as soon as they are finalized.
Thank you for your continued support.