Programme Aberystwyth 2026
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ROOM / AKIRA COMMITTEE All Rights Reserved
Summary Kotatsu Festival Aberystwyth 2026
Fri 16th Oct
17:30
Akira (15)
Sat 17th Oct
11:00
Kiki’s Delivery Service (U)
13:30
100 M (PG)
15:45
Raffle + ALL YOU NEED IS KILL (15)
Sun 18th Oct
14:00
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (12)
15:45
Raffle + Angel’s egg (12)
Unless otherwise stated, all films are in Japanese with English subtitles.
For ticket information please contact
Aberystwyth Arts Centre Box Office on +44 (0)1970 62 32 32
Fri 16th October
17:30 Akira (15)
Iconic and game-changing, AKIRA is the definitive anime masterpiece! Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk classic obliterated the boundaries of Japanese animation and forced the world to look into the future. AKIRA’s arrival shattered traditional thinking, creating space for future generations of ground-breaking movies
July, 1988— World War III breaks loose. Then, in 2019, in megalopolis Tokyo…As the leader of a group of young robust delinquents, Kaneda spent his nights tearing through the urban wastes, racing his motorbike against rival groups. One night while riding with his gang, his friend Tetsuo suddenly encounters a strange boy― the product of human experimentation— and is injured in the ensuing crash. Shortly thereafter, a military squadron appears on the scene to take the boy and Tetsuo away to an army research facility. Determined to free Tetsuo from capture, Kaneda sneaks into the army research lab. However, a regimen of extreme experimental procedures has awakened a new power in his friend, and now he is consumed by madness…
Japan | 1988 | 2h 5m | 15 | Katsuhiro Otomo | Japanese with English subtitles|
Saturday 17th October
11:00 Kiki’s Delivery Service (U)
Hayao Miyazaki, Japan 1989, 104mins, subtitled A brand new 4K restoration of one of Studio Ghibli’s most loved animations. It’s a tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and fly off into the wide world to learn their craft. When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her new journey with her sarcastic black cat, landing in a seaside town where her unique skills make her an instant sensation at the local artisan bakery.
Japan | 1989 | 104 m | U | Hayao Miyazaki | Japanese with English subtitles
13:30 100 M (PG)
Togashi is born to run. As a kid, he is naturally gifted and wins every 100-meter race without effort. But in sixth grade, he meets Komiya, a transfer student who is full of determination but lacks technique. In teaching him, Togashi gives Komiya a new purpose: to win no matter what. As years pass, Togashi and Komiya meet again as rivals on the track, revealing their true selves.
Based on the manga by Uoto (Orb: On the Movements of the Earth), don’t miss this introspective yet adrenaline fuelled film directed by the award winning Kenji Iwaisawa (On-Gaku: Our Sound).
Japan | 2025 | 1h 46m | PG | Kenji Iwaisawa | Japanese with English subtitles |
15:45 Raffle
Full details of the prizes can be found on our raffle page.
Raffle tickets will be available for just 50p each, from the Kotatsu Festival stand.
16:00 ALL YOU NEED IS KILL (15)
Set in the year 20XX, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL follows the story of Rita, a resourceful but isolated young woman volunteering to help rebuild Japan after the mysterious appearance of a massive alien flower known as “Darol”. When Darol unexpectedly erupts in a deadly event, unleashing monstrous creatures that decimate the population, Rita is caught in the destruction—and killed. But then she wakes up again. And again. Caught in an endless time loop, Rita must navigate the trauma and repetition of death until she crosses paths with Keiji, a shy young man trapped in the same cycle. Together, they fight to break free from the loop and find meaning in the chaos around them.
Japan | 2026 | 1h 26m | 15 | Kenichiro Akimoto | Japanese with Eng Subs |
Sunday 18th October
14:00 The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (12)
Directed by Tomohisa Taguchi (BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War) and inspired by the award-winning novel of the same name, this whirlwind time-travelling tale of summer love tells the story ofKaoru and Anzu, two misfit teenagers who come together to investigate a mysterious tunnel that is said to grant the wishes of whoever ventures through it – at a precious cost. Together, they must realise what it is they truly wish for, and whether it’s worth the price.
Japan | 2022 | 1h 22m | 12 | Tomohisa Taguchi | Japanese with English subtitles |
15:45 Raffle + Angel’s egg (12)
Raffle
Tickets for this year’s raffle will be available at the festival, from the Kotatsu stand.
Tickets are 50p each.
Full details of the raffle prizes can be found on our raffle page
Angel’s egg (12)
In an underwater city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms.
A boy with a gun arrives in search of a bird he saw in his dream. At first, it seems as if feelings of sympathy are developing between the two.
Forty years after the film’s original release, Anime Limited is proud to present an all-new 4K restoration of the film, supervised by director Mamoru Oshii, in cinemas nationwide for the very first time.
The film is a creative collaboration between acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), who wrote and directed the feature, and revered artist Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D). The film beautifully intertwines Oshii’s thematic reflections on philosophy and theolog with Amano’s distinctive ink painting style, culminating in an arrestingly beautiful hand-drawn allegorical fantasy.
Japan | 1985 | 1h 11m | 12 | Mamoru Oshii | Japanese with English subtitles |
Also available in our Marketplace – Saturday & Sunday only
Kotatsu Festival Stand
A selection of Japan/Anime/Manga related goods. All money raised on this stand will be used to help fund future Kotatsu Festival events. To reduce the use of plastic bags, please bring your own bags if possible.
Japan-bits
Selection of cute amigurumi – hand made characters, and Japan-themed items.
Manga Kissa (Manga Café) – free of charge
Why not settle down in our comic corner and read some of your favourite manga or general Japan-related books or magazines. If you have any spare reading material, please consider donating them to our reading area.
Please don’t take them home, so others can enjoy!
Kotatsu Film Critics’ Award
The Kotatsu films will be judged by a panel of three critics.
Nonki Ashita
Chie Arai started freelancing in 2002 after her employment at an animation studio. As well as working as an illustrator and traditional animator, she continues to create flipbooks and animated films. Since 2006, she has arranged the Parapara Manga Kissaten “Flip Manga Exhibit” group exhibition for artists who love flipbooks, which has run in several locations around central Tokyo. She has worked at Bunka Gakuen University’s modelling department since 2015, and is a member of both the Japan Animation Association (JAA) and Japan Society for Animation Studies (JSAS).
Amy Morris
Amy Morris is a British creative producer based in Wales, with 17 years of experience across animation and independent film and more than 60 producer credits. She is the founder of Winding Snake Productions, an incubator for original animated IP, and co-founder of AMMÔ Animation, where she develops and produces original animation for international audiences.
Her producing work has received BAFTA recognition, BAFTA Cymru nominations and Vimeo Staff Picks, with films selected for Oscar qualifying festivals internationally. Her representative works include Efa Blosse Mason’s Cwch Deilen, which screened at 26 international festivals, including Tribeca, Frameline and FlickerFest, and won Best of British at Iris Prize. As producer and manager of Ffilm Cymru Wales’ Ffolio programme, she oversaw the development and delivery of 16 films for broadcast, producing 12 and supporting emerging Welsh filmmaking talent.
She currently has a full development slate spanning animated features and series for adult and young audiences, working with studios and creative partners in Canada and Ireland. She also has a production team working between Wales and Hungary on a new animated work due for release in 2027. Through Winding Snake Productions and AMMÔ Animation, she is developing original IP and building international partnerships with the ambition of creating internationally recognised animation from Wales.
Shinobu Soejima
Shinobu Soejima produces short stop-motion films, installations, and sculptures employing organic materials such as rice, meat, insects, as well as puppets. By fully utilizing the mechanics of animation, she explores the dissolution of boundaries—between living and nonliving things, center and periphery, and the visible and the invisible. Soejima won several awards at domestic and international film festivals, including the 68th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen Special Mention by Ecumenical Jury, Fantasia International Film Festival 2025, and the Kon Satoshi award of Bronze. She has also exhibited at domestic and international film festivals and exhibitions, such as The 16th Gwangju Biennale.