London International Animation Festival Spotlights Japanese Animation

London: home to some of the world's most recognisable landmarks and a major cultural centre. It also happens to be home to the UK's longest-running and most eclectic animation festival, London International Animation Festival. LIAF returns for its 23rd edition from November 27- December 6, 2026. Screenings take place at 5 different London venues and will also be available online internationally. This year's 10-day event will be spotlighting Japanese animation.

Receiving its UK premiere at the festival will be Ryuya Suzuki's Jinsei. Following an unnamed man, it spans from his childhood as a victim of bullies to adulthood, becoming a J-Pop idol, outcast, leader and oracle. Starting as a coming-of-age drama, it morphs into social satire, revenge drama, dystopian sci-fi and an existential fever dream.

Suzuki is an entirely self-taught animator who honed his craft during the COVID pandemic. His resulting shorts screened at Japanese festivals to great acclaim and were edited into an omnibus that was released theatrically. Jinsei is his feature debut and was funded through a crowdfunding platform. Incredibly, Suzuki hand-animated the film entirely himself. He was also the writer, director, composer, sound designer and editor of the film. The film screens at The Garden Cinema on November 29.

Nine Japanese shorts will also screen in competition:

• Element#02 (directed by Yuki Kimura) - screens in the Abstract Showcase at the
Garden Cinema on Saturday, November 28 at 11:30am.

• Builder (directed by Ryoji Yamada) - screens in Late Night Bizarre at the Horse
Hospital on Saturday, December 5 at 9pm.

• Little Boarlet (directed by Atsushi Wada) - screens in From Absurd to Zany at the
Garden Cinema on Sunday, November 29 at 5:30pm.

• Five Orphans (directed by Sarina Nihei) - screens in From Absurd to Zany at the
Garden Cinema on Sunday, November 29 at 5:30pm.
(Sarina will be present at the screening to introduce her film)

• When the Mountains Shook (directed by Daiyu Li) - screens in Best of the Next 2 at
the Horse Hospital on Friday, December 4 at 8pm.

• So he grabbed the knife (directed by Sam Kuwa) - screens in Best of the Next 3 at the
Horse Hospital on Friday, December 4 at 9:30pm.

• Cokiyu/Seed of a Star (directed by Yasuhiro Higuchi) - screens in Music Video Session
at the Horse Hospital on Saturday, December 5 at 7pm.

• Tomoaki Baba/Prime (directed by Hoji Tsuchiya) - screens in Music Video Session at
the Horse Hospital on Saturday, December 5 at 7pm.

• Yutai Communications/Fake Ghost (directed by Taro Otani ) - screens in Music Video
Session at the Horse Hospital on Saturday, December 5 at 7pm.

In total, the festival will screen 270 independent animated films from 30 countries. It will include 23 screening programs, 140 premieres and seven free online panel discussions. Programs include International Competition, British Showcase, Marvellous Animations For 8-15 Year Olds, Queer Shorts, Amazing Animations For 0-7 Year Olds and Best Of The Next. LIAF will also be screening the feature films Son Of A Bitch (from Brazil) and The Orbit Of Minor Satellites (a mixed-media film from the US).

You can see the full lineup here, or get tickets and passes here. Online passes start at just a fiver and can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Tickets can also be bought in person from the box office at participating London venues.

If you are a lover of independent animation (and if you're reading this site, you probably are) then LIAF 2026 looks like an event you don't want to miss! And thanks to the online pass, even the old "but I don't live in London" excuse isn't going to work any more.