JFF26 Look Back

Screening direct from its heralded World Premiere in Competition at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, Palme d’Or-winning director Hirokazu KOREEDA (Shoplifters, Like Father Like Son, The Truth) brings his signature humanism to LOOK BACK, a deeply moving adaptation of Tatsuki FUJIMOTO’s acclaimed 'one-shot' manga about the wild emotional swings of childhood friendship and the process of finding your voice through art. Nikaho City, northern Japan. Fourth-grader Fujino enjoys the admiration of her classmates, who delight in the four-panel comics she publishes in the school newspaper. But her confidence is shaken when Kyо̄moto – a reclusive classmate whose social anxiety keeps her from attending school – begins submitting work of extraordinary and superior skill. What starts as quiet rivalry soon evolves into a profound creative partnership, bound by a shared devotion to illustration. As they grow together – and eventually apart – their journey traces the fragile interplay of connection, ambition and regret... First published on Shonen Jump+ in 2021, Look Back sparked immediate buzz, recording 2.5 million views on its first day. It has sold over 900,000 copies in Japan and has been published in 37 countries worldwide with more than 750,000 copies sold internationally. KOREEDA’s adaptation follows Kiyotaka OSHIYAMA’s 2024 animated feature adaptation of the same name, a critical and box office success that earned a Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Animated Feature and a nomination for Best Animated Feature (Independent) at the Annie Awards.