The festival
Nippon Connection is a Japanese film festival held annually in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and is considered one of the largest festivals for Japanese cinema in the world. Founded in 2000 by film students Marion Klomfass and Holger Ziegler, it presents features, documentaries and short films alongside a cultural programme.
Worth knowing
Beyond screenings, the festival offers workshops, concerts and cultural events exploring Japanese arts and culture. It usually takes place over about six days in late May and early June.
How to attend
Visitors buy tickets and passes for screenings and events held at venues across Frankfurt. Details are published on the official Nippon Connection website each year.
Awards & submissions
Considered one of the world’s largest festivals of Japanese cinema, Nippon Connection presents around 140 films a year in Frankfurt — features, documentaries, shorts and animation, many of them German, European or world premieres — alongside a cultural programme of workshops, concerts and events. Its awards include the audience-voted Nippon Cinema Award; the Nippon Visions Jury Award, which supports up-and-coming filmmakers; and the Nippon Visions Audience Award, plus further honors such as a rising-star award. Founded in 2000 and run largely on a voluntary basis by a non-profit association, the festival takes place over about six days in late May and early June at venues across Frankfurt. Visitors buy tickets and passes for screenings and events, and details of the programme and of how filmmakers can submit are published on the official Nippon Connection website each year.
Official site →Dates and programs change year to year — check the official site for the current edition.