Peter Barakan's Music Film Festival 2026 announced

Broadcaster Peter Barakan has announced the sixth edition of ‘Peter Barakan’s Music Film Festival 2026’. The festival will feature 21 films, including eight making their Japanese theatrical premieres.

The lineup includes documentaries such as ‘The Story of Ella Fitzgerald’, ‘Big Mama Thornton: As It Is’, and a film regarding the Montreux Jazz Festival. Other notable screenings include works on Leon Russell, the Newport Folk Festival, Cuban pianist Omar Sosa, and Bud Powell, as well as 4K footage from the 19th Chopin International Piano Competition.

The event will kick off at Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho in Tokyo from September 18 to October 1, 2026. Following the Tokyo run, the festival will travel to Osaka Cine Nouveau (November 13–20) and Nagoya Fushimi Millionza (November 20–26), featuring talk shows with Barakan.

To coincide with the festival, Barakan will release a new guidebook titled ‘MUSIC FILM MAGIC! Peter Barakan's Selected Music Films’ via Shinko Music on September 18.