Chicago Japan Film Collective - CJFC

04/30/2026

🚨LAST CALL🚨
We're in the FINAL STRETCH for submissions... Submit your film by May 10 through Film Freeway 📽️

04/30/2026

📢 Attention Chicagoland!

Are you interested in experiencing a summer Japanese festival firsthand? The Chicago Japan Fest is looking for volunteers to help make this year another success!

Check out the link if interested in signing up: http://bit.ly/41UlNP2

04/07/2026

04/07/2026

Thank you for joining us for the special screening of "Ishibumi".
https://www.cjfc.us/home

A full event report, including highlights and selected audience feedback, is now available. We invite you to explore and revisit the experience.

The event report (En)
https://tinyurl.com/4apkwewp
The event report (JP)
https://tinyurl.com/5fpmsjsf

2026 CJFC 『いしぶみ』特別上映会 報告書

04/03/2026

🚨 Happening tonight!
Don’t miss your chance to see
"Ishibumi" (映画『いしぶみ』) on the big screen.
🗓️ Tonight at 7PM Gorton Center
🎟 Get your tickets here: https://cjfc.us
Seats are limited — grab yours now!

04/03/2026

🚨 Tomorrow!
This is your last chance to catch
🎬 "Ishibumi" (映画『いしぶみ』) on the big screen.

A special one-time screening directed by
KORE-EDA Hirokazu.

🗓️ April 3 at 7PM Gorton Center
🎟 https://cjfc.us
Don’t miss it — see you at the theater!

03/30/2026

2026 CJFC Special Screening
Ishibumi
by KORE-EDA Hirokazu

April 3, 2026 (Fri) @ 7:00 pm
at Gorton Center, Lake forest, IL

In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Chicago Japan Film Collective (CJFC), in partnership with Gorton Center, presents a special screening of Ishibumi (2015), directed by acclaimed filmmaker KORE-EDA Hirokazu.

Originally produced by Hiroshima Television, Ishibumi revisits the story of 321 first-year students of the former Hiroshima Second Middle School whose lives were taken in the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945. Through the quiet and powerful recitation of letters and family testimonies, the film preserves voices that might otherwise fade from collective memory.

Known worldwide for his deeply humanistic storytelling, Kore-eda returns to his documentary roots in this moving work. Actress Haruka Ayase, a native of Hiroshima, lends her voice to the recited letters, offering a restrained yet emotionally resonant performance that honors the memories of the young lives lost.

The screening will be presented as a one-time theatrical event. A panel discussion may follow, subject to availability.

We invite you to join us for an evening of remembrance, reflection, and shared history.

Tickets&info:https://www.cjfc.us