We Are Aliens Wins Best Animated Feature Film Award at Sitges Film Festival

Japanese animated film We Are Aliens has won the Award for Best Animated Feature Film in the Anima’t section at the 59th SITGES – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, held in Spain from October 8 to 18. The win marks the first for a Japanese film in the category in six years, while 30-year-old director Kohei Kadowaki became the youngest Japanese director to receive the award.

Quick Summary

- We Are Aliens won the Award for Best Animated Feature Film in the Anima’t section at the 59th Sitges Film Festival.

- It is the first Japanese film to win the award since Yuta Murano’s Seven Days War in 2020.

- Director Kohei Kadowaki, who recently turned 30, became the youngest Japanese director to receive the award.

- The film previously screened at Cannes and Annecy and won the Grand Prize in the feature competition at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

Kohei Kadowaki Becomes Youngest Japanese Director to Win the Award

Kadowaki, who planned, wrote and directed We Are Aliens, said he was surprised and delighted by the award.

"I never expected to receive an award, so I was surprised. I'm truly happy. Thank you very much," he said.

He added that he hopes the recognition will help the film reach more people in Japan and around the world.

The award is the first for a Japanese film in the category since Seven Days War, directed by Yuta Murano, won in 2020. Kadowaki, who recently turned 30, is also the youngest Japanese director to receive the honor.

We Are Aliens Continues International Festival Run

We Are Aliens is the first feature-length animated film from NOTHING NEW, a film label established in 2022 with the aim of creating a world where talent is not crushed.

Set in a rural Japanese town during the Heisei era, the story follows two boys and their friendship over 30 years. Their days of games and casual conversations are changed by a certain event, eventually leading to an irreversible incident.

The film had its world premiere at Directors' Fortnight during the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May and was also selected for the feature competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2026.

It later won the Grand Prize in the feature competition at the 50th Ottawa International Animation Festival.

We Are Aliens opened in Japan on September 25, with screenings expanding to additional theaters from October 16.

The Sitges Film Festival, founded in 1968, focuses on genre films including fantasy, horror and science fiction. Previous Japanese winners of the Anima’t animated feature award include Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name. in 2016 and Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai in 2018.

FAQ

Q1. What award did We Are Aliens win at the Sitges Film Festival?
A1. The film won the Award for Best Animated Feature Film in the festival’s Anima’t section.

Q2. Who directed We Are Aliens?
A2. The film was planned, written and directed by Kohei Kadowaki.

Q3. Why is Kohei Kadowaki’s win notable?
A3. At age 30, Kadowaki became the youngest Japanese director to receive the Sitges award.

Q4. When was We Are Aliens released in Japan?
A4. The film opened in Japan on September 25, 2026, with screenings expanding to additional theaters from October 16.

Source : ORICON NEWS