As a prelude to Japanese Film Festival (JFF) 2026, our Festival Ambassador for this year – renowned Singaporean film director Eric Khoo, together with his producer Tan Fong Cheng, will share about their love for Japanese movies, media and culture, and their unique and globally-acclaimed work together in making some of Singapore's most celebrated films, three of which will be featured in the Festival this year: SPIRIT WORLD, RAMEN TEH, and TATSUMI.

Co-organised by the Japan Foundation, Japan Creative Centre (JCC) and Singapore Film Society (SFS), JFF 2026 will be taking place in Singapore this coming October. SFS Chairman Kenneth Tan, the lead programmer this year, will also provide insights into JFF 2026 and how the festival has developed and flourished over the years since it was first held in 1983. Deepagcharan Chandran from Asian Film Archive (AFA) will moderate the Q&A session at the end.

This event is part of the official celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan (SJ60).

Date:

Saturday, 29 August 2026

Time:

1:30pm – 2:30pm (Registration starts 1pm)

Venue:

Japan Creative Centre (JCC)
4 Nassim Road Singapore 258372

Admission:

FREE (Registration required)

Award winning filmmaker and Cultural Medallion recipient Eric Khoo arrived with MEE POK MAN in 1995. His debut feature sparked the revival of Singapore cinema, earned international critical acclaim and was the first local film to be invited to Berlin, Venice, Busan and over fifty film festivals. Khoo’s follow-up, 12 STOREYS, was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and in that year with his colleagues, Khoo wrote the white paper that resulted in the formation of the Singapore Film Commission in 1998.

Over the years, his company Zhao Wei Films became a key launchpad for Singapore filmmaking talent, producing the early features of directors including Jack Neo, Royston Tan, Boo Junfeng and Brian Gothong Tan. The company continued to expand its regional footprint collaborating with HBO Max, CJ Entertainment and in 2024, Khoo directed Catherine Deneuve in SPIRIT WORLD which closed the Busan International Film Festival. To mark Singapore’s 60th birthday in 2025, Zhao Wei Films produced KOPITIAM DAYS in collaboration with six Singaporean directors that platformed on Netflix. In light of SJ60, Eric will be the Festival Ambassador for JFF 2026 – the first in the festival’s history.

Since joining Zhao Wei Films, Tan Fong Cheng has produced many of the company’s most noteworthy films including Eric Khoo’s BE WITH ME and NO DAY OFF, as well as Royston Tan’s 15 and 881. A crowning achievement for her was producing Khoo’s MY MAGIC, which was invited to compete in the prestigious Main Competition of the 61st Cannes Film Festival. Fong Cheng then produced Khoo’s first animation feature film, TATSUMI, which was invited to the 64th Cannes Film Festival and made its North American premiere at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). In the past two years, titles that she has worked on include SPIRIT WORLD, MONSTER ISLAND, and KOPITIAM DAYS.

Kenneth Tan has spent all of his adult life thus far, and much of his teenhood as well, in Film and Media. Chairman of the Singapore Film Society since 1984, he has co-organised the annual Japanese Film Festival in Singapore since its inception in 1983, and was Singapore's national Film Commissioner for nine years. He also previously led Mediacorp TV and Radio, and Golden Village. Effectively bilingual in English and Mandarin, Kenneth is a frequent speaker and moderator at conferences and industry events, who lives and breathes Cinema.

Deepagcharan Chandran is currently the Theatre Manager at Asian Film Archive. His previous experience includes working as the Program Executive at The Projector, an independent cinema. His background reflects a strong interest in film industry engagement, demonstrated through diverse roles such as event management during his stint at the Singapore Film Society, where he provided technical support and assisted with programming for the MINDS and Korean Film Festivals. He also served as the lead Festival Programmer for the annual Japanese Film Festival Singapore from 2022 to 2025, with the Singapore Film Society working alongside the Japan Foundation and Japan Creative Centre.

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Is this your first time to Japan Creative Centre? Follow the map below to Japan Creative Centre now.

Getting to Japan Creative Centre
4 Nassim Road Singapore 258372
Tel: +65-6737-0434

By Public Bus:
Bus services: 7, 36, 77, 105, 106, 111, 123, 132, 174, 174E, 502, 502A, 502B (Alight in front of Delfi Orchard)
For latest information on bus routes and fares, please refer to SBS Transit.

By the MRT:
You may also take the MRT to the nearest MRT station, Orchard (NS22).
Train fares, travel times and route maps are available on the SMRT website.

Driving to JCC:
Nearest parking is at Orchard Hotel, Delfi Orchard and Orchard Rendezvous Hotel.