Japanese animated feature We Are Aliens has won the Best Animated Feature Film award in the Anima’t section of the 59th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in Spain.
The achievement is notable because it marks the first time a Japanese film has won this category since Seven Days War received the honour in 2020. The win also makes the film’s 30-year-old director, Kohei Kadowaki, the youngest Japanese filmmaker to receive the award.
A Story Spanning Three Decades
We Are Aliens is the first feature-length animated film from the production label NOTHING NEW. Set in a rural Japanese town during the Heisei era, it follows two boys whose friendship develops over a period of 30 years.
Their ordinary childhood days of playing and talking are disrupted by a significant event, eventually leading to an irreversible incident. The film uses this long friendship as the foundation for its dramatic story.
Director Kohei Kadowaki’s Achievement
Kadowaki planned, wrote and directed the film. After receiving the award, he expressed surprise and happiness, saying he hoped the recognition would help the movie reach more audiences in Japan and internationally.
The award adds to the film’s growing international festival record. It previously screened at the Cannes Film Festival and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and it also won the feature competition’s Grand Prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Japanese Release and International Recognition
The film opened in Japanese cinemas on September 25, 2026, with screenings expanding to additional theatres from October 16. Its latest festival win brings further attention to a Japanese animated feature that has already appeared at several major international animation events.
The Sitges award is another significant milestone for Kadowaki and the film’s production team as they seek to introduce the story to a wider audience.
