Bishkek, Oct. 6, 2025. /Kabar/. The Japanese Film Festival 2025 was held in Bishkek on Saturday. It was organized by the Embassy of Japan in the Kyrgyz Republic jointly with the Japan Foundation as part of Japan Month, an annual autumn event introducing Japanese culture.
This year, in addition to two days of screenings at the Kyrgyz National History Museum, the festival also included previews at three universities in the capital. A total of eight new Japanese films were shown to audiences in their original language with Russian subtitles.
"This Japanese film festival is part of a program of Japanese film screenings abroad. Its goal is to provide Kyrgyzstanis with the opportunity to become acquainted with Japanese culture and spark interest in Japan," noted Hideki Goda, Ambassador of Japan to the Kyrgyz Republic.
"This is a very joyful event for us filmmakers, because any exchange of information and achievements in the film industry always leads to growth. "Cinema is an art form that can be understood without translation, especially Japanese cinema, which is a unique phenomenon today, combining philosophy, aesthetics, and emotion," added Ulan Adamaliev, Director of the Department of Cinematography at the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Guests also expressed their opinions about the festival.
"I like Japanese culture. Recently, there was a Japanese concert at the Philharmonic; I went there, and I also attended a Japanese festival," said audience member Ademi Talantbekova.
"I learned about the festival through social media and a classmate. I'm very interested in Japanese art and history. They have something unique that other countries don't have, even in the age of globalization. I enjoy the work of director Akira Kurosawa, writer Yukio Mishima, and animator Hayao Miyazaki," added Atay Azamatov.