Every October, the Japanese Film Festival brings a feast of the country's best flicks to Brisbane. That's great news — but if you're looking for a Japanese cinema experience throughout the rest of the year, that's harder to find. Enter the JFF Fringe, a new monthly screening series showcasing featuring a mix of Australian premieres and encores of previous fest hits.
Commencing on Wednesday, May 30, the series will run during the last week of each month, with subsequent sessions on Wednesday, June 27; Monday, July 30; and Wednesday, August 29. Gintama has the honour of kicking things off — complete with aliens and samurai — with the live-action comedy based on the manga of the same name.
Other highlights include the Australian premiere of Honnouji Hotel, a period-set fantasy flick about a mysterious hotel in Kyoto; family drama The Long Excuse, which was a sellout at JFF back in 2016; and the gorgeous animated effort In This Corner of the World. The latter isn't a Studio Ghibli flick, but if you're a fan of the studio's movies, you'll want to add this to your must-see list. Trust us.