Niigata ¨C The third annual Niigata International Animation Film Festival (NIAFF), held last March, ended with the announcement that the next edition of the festival would take place from Feb. 20 to 25, 2026. But behind the scenes, the festival¡¯s future was anything but clear.
Taking place in the city of Niigata ¡ª a midsized regional capital on the coast of the Sea of Japan ¡ª the festival was launched in 2023 to help highlight Niigata Prefecture¡¯s contributions to Japan¡¯s anime industry and attract animation fans from both Japan and overseas.
But as its third edition wrapped, the festival was parting ways with its core organizers, including anime industry veterans Shinichiro Inoue and Taro Maki, who announced they were leaving to launch a similar festival in Aichi Prefecture. A second blow was dealt in June, when NIAFF founder Kenzo Horikoshi, a film producer and arthouse pioneer, died at the age of 80.
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