Japanese Film Screening

2026/8/31

Free Japanese Film Screening

Free Japanese Film Screening is being held at Ellen Melville Centre on the last Friday of each month from 6:00pm and are preceded by a short video about Japanese culture from 5:45 pm. 
  • All films have English subtitles.
  • Admission is free and booking is not necessary (first come, first served basis )
  • A short videos on life and culture in Japan will be shown before the start of the feature film.
  • The dates and titles may change due to unforeseen circumstances.

Film Information


Japanese horror masterpiece based on the Japanese video game of the same name that’s set to become an instant cult classic all around the world.

"Ask anyone – it’s easy to get lost in the Tokyo subway. Genki Kawamura’s delightful blockbuster provocation Exit 8 understands and exploits these frustrations, transforming these claustrophobic corridors into a site of psychological exploration, personal choice, and national anxieties.

Quite possibly the first video game adaptation to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Exit 8 contains no jump scares. It instead succeeds through a cumulative anxiety, where we could be stuck here forever, and that something genuinely horrific could eventually appear within this cyclical space. 

It’s a devilishly entertaining time at the movies, building to an exhilarating finale that centers why The Lost Man, or indeed the viewer, should want to leave this recursive labyrinth."
— Blake Simons, IndieWire

Trailer

Venue

The Ellen Melville Centre is an Auckland Council community hub in the centre of Auckland city. Formerly known as Pioneer Women's and Ellen Melville Hall, the Ellen Melville Centre has five diverse hireable spaces, and easy access onto Freyberg Place.
Website Ellen Melville Centre

The Centre
This website was launched in November 2020 to promote the great events happening across the Auckland region in your local Auckland Council supported arts, community and events venues.

Ellen Melville Centre Facebook
Getting there Ellen Melville Centre are located in the heart of the High Street District, connecting High Street to the O'Connell Street shared space, Chancery Square and the Metropolis.

 Parking information

 Public transport information

Japanese Film Festival 2026 - A Window into Contemporary Japan

「Japanese Film Festival 2026」in Auckland will be held from Thursday 17 September to Sunday 20 September 2026 at the Academy Cinemas.  

This year's Japanese Film Festival presents a carefully curated selection of contemporary Japanese films that reflect the emotional depth and social realities of modern Japan. Through stories of family, craftsmanship, belonging, and personal transformation, the programme reveals the quiet richness and complexity of everyday life.

More than a film showcase, the festival serves as a cultural bridge, offering New Zealand audiences the opportunity to experience Japan through some of Japan's finest contemporary films.
  • Free Admission (online booking fee NZ$1.50 apply)
  • Booking required at Academy cinemas HP (Booking open from Thursday 20 August)
  • All films are presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

We warmly invite you to join us in celebrating the richness and diversity of Japanese cinema.

Please click here for more details.
 

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