Events
ANIAFF 2026: Anime and AI in the Spotlight at the Film Festival
Kunihiko Ikuhara, Seiji Mizushima and Takashi Murakami are among the guests announced for Nagoya.
The Aichi-Nagoya International Animation Film Festival (ANIAFF) will run a special program on artificial intelligence in anime stories in Nagoya from November 13 to 18, 2026. The festival's second edition also confirms talks with directors Kunihiko Ikuhara and Seiji Mizushima, as well as a retrospective of animation director Osamu Dezaki.
How Anime Depicts Artificial Intelligence
Under the title "AI as Portrayed in Animation," the program centers on works that engaged with artificial intelligence long before the current debate. It treats AI as a theme within the story, not its use as a production tool. This is according to the organizers' announcement and a report by KAI-YOU from October 28.
Screenings include "Rakuen Tsuiho – Expelled from Paradise: Impelled by 10th Anniversary" and both parts of "Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Far Beyond the Voyage." Seiji Mizushima, director of "Rakuen Tsuiho," will speak with game AI developer Yoichiro Miyake about artificial intelligence as an anime character and narrative motif. Director Kazuya Murata is expected at the "Gargantia" screening.
The program also includes Ari Folman's animated film "The Congress," which deals with an actress whose digital likeness is used in the film industry. The discussion is thus deliberately oriented differently from current debates about the use of generative AI in development.
Retrospective on Osamu Dezaki and Further Films
A dedicated series is devoted to Osamu Dezaki, the director behind "Ashita no Joe" and "Aim for the Ace!" Contemporary artist Takashi Murakami discusses Dezaki's direction in a separate program item. Kunihiko Ikuhara, known for "Revolutionary Girl Utena," has chosen an episode of "The Rose of Versailles" for his contribution and likewise analyzes Dezaki's work.
In addition, there are three invited screenings: "Giovanni's Island" by Mizuho Nishikubo, and the two productions "Take the Head of Holofernes" and "If I Were to Be Born from Now On" from 2026. Talks with those involved are planned for the latter two films. Director Kenji Kamiyama will also appear in an all-night program.
ANIAFF takes place at venues such as Midland Square Cinema 2 and Winc Aichi. It complements other Japanese retrospectives, such as the already held Satoshi Kon birthday festival. More information on programs and screening times is available on the official festival website. aninew.de had previously reported on Angela Balzac's return in the new film for the "Rakuen Tsuiho" franchise.