2026 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival opens on March 13 with two screenings of TAMALA 2010: A Punk Cat in Space.

The 2026 Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival opens on March 13 at the Row House Lawrenceville with two screenings of the 2002 animated film TAMALA 2010: A Punk Cat in Space.

Opening night of the Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival is for cats… and boy do we have a title for you this year!

“Japanese art collective t.o.L. (Tree of Life) have taken the hipster kitsch of Hello Kitty to a delirious extreme.”
-LA Weekly

Tamala is a cat living on Planet Cat Earth in the Feline Galaxy. In attempt to leave the Feline Galaxy, which is practically owned by a mega corporation called Catty & Co., she crashes on the violence-ridden Planet Q where she meets Michelangelo. Together they have fun, while Tamala searches for her connections to Catty & Co. and her mysterious homeworld Orion.

Opening night tickets include:
– Gift bags
-A welcome drink
– Popcorn with a full bar of sweet/savory Japanese toppings

Tickets are available online. The festival runs from March 13 through March 26 at the Row House Lawrenceville, a single-screen theater at 4115 Butler St. (map).