Japan is getting a serious spotlight at Cannes this year, and anime fans should pay attention — even if we’re watching from Malaysia.
The Marché du Film, the film market that runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival, is bringing back its “Goes to Cannes” programme on May 15. The showcase highlights works-in-progress from festivals and markets around the world, giving industry buyers, distributors, and festival programmers an early look before the films are fully released.
For 2026, Japan is part of that conversation in a big way. The showcase will include five Japanese films, led by a live-action Look Back film and the anime feature You, Fireworks, and Our Promise. The other titles in the line-up are Ko Kanai’s The Gate of Murder, Takahisa Zeze’s All That Exists, currently listed as a working title, and Syoutarou Kobayashi’s Lives at Right Angles.
The biggest name here is easily Hirokazu Kore-eda, who is directing, editing, and writing the screenplay for Look Back. If you know Japanese cinema, that name carries weight. Kore-eda is the filmmaker behind Shoplifters, Our Little Sister, and Air Doll — basically the kind of director who can turn quiet human drama into something that hits you in the chest. Music for the film is being handled by Yūta Bandō, whose credits include BELLE and Kaiju No. 8, and who is also known as Taku Matsushiba.
GKIDS has already picked up distribution rights for Look Back in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland, with plans for a theatrical release. No SEA or Malaysia release has been announced from the source material, so don’t start booking your cinema seats yet, bro. But this is still worth tracking because Cannes market attention often affects how quickly films get picked up internationally. If the buzz is strong, regional distributors may start looking at it more seriously.
The anime title in the showcase, You, Fireworks, and Our Promise, sounds like it’s aiming straight for that emotional coming-of-age lane. The story is set around the Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Show in Niigata Prefecture, one of Japan’s biggest fireworks events. It follows Makoto, a Tokyo high school boy dealing with poor confidence and social awkwardness, and Aki, a popular class president who seems to have everything going for her. Their connection begins with a drawing of fireworks, and the mystery behind that image pushes them toward a major decision within a tight time limit.
That premise has very strong summer anime movie energy — the kind of film that could land well with fans of bittersweet youth drama, especially if it gets a proper theatrical push. Malaysian anime fans have shown up for emotional anime films before, from Makoto Shinkai-style romances to franchise movies, so this is exactly the sort of title that could find an audience here if a distributor brings it in.
Japan’s role at Cannes is also bigger than just this showcase. Japan is the 2026 Country of Honor at Marché du Film, while Cannes Animation will run workshops and panels focused on Japanese animation. On top of that, the Annecy Animation Showcase at the festival will include five animated works-in-progress from around the world, including dwarf studios’ stop-motion samurai film HIDARI and Takayuki Hirao’s anime project currently codenamed Wasted Chef.
For SEA fans, the takeaway is simple: Japanese film and anime are getting prime international industry attention, and that can shape what eventually reaches our cinemas, streaming platforms, and festival circuits. Keep an eye on these titles — especially Look Back and You, Fireworks, and Our Promise.
Source: Anime News Network