30th Ueda Castle Town Film Festival

About this event

Held in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture on Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, 2026, the "30th Ueda Castle Town Film Festival" is an event where visitors can enjoy domestic and international films as well as independent productions against the backdrop of Ueda's history and culture, where filmmaking has taken place since the Taisho era. For this 30th edition, a wide variety of works will be screened over 2 days, centered around the historic cinema "Ueda Eigeki." On the first day, screenings will include Terence Davies's "The Long Day Closes," which is having its first theatrical release in Japan; Yasujiro Ozu's silent film "A Story of Floating Weeds," filmed on location in Ueda; and 3 works by director Yuiga Danzuka. On the second day, "The Kings of Summer," works related to the citizen-participation filmmaking workshop, and "The Night Way Home" (filmed on location in Ueda) will be featured. Guest talk sessions are scheduled after the screenings, offering a precious opportunity not only to watch films but also to interact with filmmakers. At the festival venue "Sai no Tsuno," all 17 nominated works from the Independent Film Contest will be screened over the 2 days, with free admission. Stage greetings by directors, crew, and cast members are also scheduled following each screening. On the final day, an awards ceremony announcing the Grand Prize and each Jury Award will be held, followed by a screening of the Grand Prize-winning work. The philosophy of the film festival is to contribute to the promotion of visual culture centered on cinema in the Ueda region, fostering new talent and promoting interaction with citizens.

Venue

Sai no Tsuno Guesthouse

2-11-20 Chuo, Ueda, Nagano 386-0012