The Berlin International Film Festival announced its 2026 Competition line-up on January 20, which included A NEW DAWN , an upcoming original animation film directed by Japanese painter Yoshitoshi Shinomiya. The Berlin International Film Festival, held annually in February in Berlin, Germany, is one of the world's three major film festivals alongside the Cannes International Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival. This year, 22 films are competing for the top prize in the competition section, the Golden Bear. In the competition section where A NEW DAWN was selected, previous winners of the Golden Bear include Bushido, Samurai Saga (Tadashi Imai, 1963) and Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001). Three years ago, Suzume (Makoto Shinkai, 2023) was also selected for the section. A NEW DAWN is Shinomiya's feature-length directorial debut work, and this marks the first time in 33 years that a Japanese director's feature film debut work has been selected for this section since Yearning (Tamasaburo Bando V, 1993). "Those who sat at desks alongside me and moved their hands, those who worked with voices and sounds—I believe each of the countless possibilities crystallized on screen, fused together, and ultimately reached Berlin," said Shinomiya. "This very small story has traveled around the world and will return to Japan in March. By then, I believe audiences everywhere will be able to enjoy this film as a universally shared story. For those who first learned of 'A NEW DAWN' through this news, I would be delighted if it becomes one reason to see it in theaters." The 76th Berlin International Film Festival is scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany, from February 12 to 22, 2026. Key visual with the Berlin International Film Festival announcement RELATED: A NEW DAWN Anime Film Shares New Main Visual A NEW DAWN , a French-Japanese co-production film with the French studio Miyu Productions, is scheduled to be released in Japan on March 6, 2026 . Yoshitoshi Shinomiya – an artist best known for their background illustrations in Garden of Word s and Your Name . as well as visuals for Pokémon films – writes and directs the film based on their own original work. Utsushita of Minakata Laboratory draws the character designs, Akiko Majima provides the art direction and Shuta Hasunuma composes the music. The Berlin International Film Festival official website describes the synopsis of A NEW DAWN as such: Keitaro lives in a fireworks factory that is about to be shut down. He is determined to unravel the mystery of the Shuhari, a mythical firework created by his father before he disappeared without a trace – and launch it before the factory closes. Source: Berlin International Film Festival official website , A NEW DAWN official website
