Thanks to our Japanese distributor Fine Films, Cats of Malta, known as Nekoshima in Japan, will be released across Japanese theatres from 10th January 2025.

While in Tokyo, we took part in three press interviews and visited two venues - Human Trust Cinema and Shinjuku Musashino Theater - to meet mangers and staff, and sign walls, posters and other printed materials. The private screening Hibiya Library & Museum also went well, with 100 attentive people in the audience and a successful Q & A session.

This project is supported by Arts Council Malta and マルタ観光局 MTA Japan.

We had so much fun in Tokyo representing Cats of Malta and are excited to see the result of the wonderful marketing campaign Fine Films have been working on for months.

Here is the website for Nekoshima in Japan, where the theatrical venues and showtimes are listed: https://catsofmalta-movie.com/

All photos from the Japanese screening can be found on the Cats of Malta Facebook page.

SJ and Ivan at Shinjuku Musashino Theater Tokyo before signing the poster.

We enjoyed the Q&A after the private screening at Hibiya Library & Museum Tokyo

Ever since we began filming cats in Malta back in 2019 as a way to do some camera tests, leading to the idea of producing a feature documentary which became Cats of Malta, we dreamed about one day showing the film in Japan.

Japanese tourists have an affinity with Maltese cats, with the giant cat statue in Sliema being a favourite tourist hotspot, as highlighted in the film.

Artist Matthew Pandolfino re-painting his famous ‘Saint of the Cats’ sculpture.

So it is great joy we can announce that Cats of Malta has landed Japanese distribution. The film will be showing in cinemas across Japan on January 10th 2025.

Cats of Malta poster and back of the promo flyer courtesy of Fine Films.

We will be working closely with our distributor as well as our patner Malta Tourism Authority Japan to make the release as big as it can be, and from the promotion material we have seen already, we are super excited.

Find the latest on the event website.