Taxis in Tokyo's 23 Wards to Become "Moving Cinemas." Japan's First Taxi Film Festival "TAXIATER" Announced, Featuring Original Works by Academy Award-Caliber Creators.

 Overview

ENGINE Co., Ltd. (Location: Adachi-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Tetsuro Kubota) will host "TAXIATER," Japan's first taxi film festival. This film festival, commemorating "Taxi Day" on August 5, will run for one week starting Monday, August 3, 2026, taking over the signage media in 100 taxis operating in Tokyo's 23 wards, and screening newly produced short films by Academy Award-caliber production teams, creating a new cinematic and taxi experience.

Participating in this film festival are leading creators, including producer Akihisa Yamamoto, who worked on 'Drive My Car' (2021), the first Japanese film ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and the Disney+ Japan's highest-rated "Gannibal" series; producer Kimiki Goka, who worked on 'The Great Passage' (2013), which won six Japan Academy Prizes, and TV Tokyo's "Sado"; and director Ryutaro Nakagawa, who directed 'Run, Don't Be Chased by Despair' (2016), officially screened in the Tokyo International Film Festival's Splash section. (※1)

In collaboration with "GROWTH," one of Tokyo's largest taxi signage media (※2), three newly produced short films will be created and screened with the sponsorship of Kao Corporation's laundry detergent "Attack," fabric softener "Humming," and dishwashing detergent "Kyukyutto."

※1: The film festival theme song is scheduled to be distributed on various music streaming platforms from Wednesday, August 5, 2026. Stage greetings and theatrical screenings with talk shows are also planned.

※2: Our company's taxi signage network in the Tokyo Special Wards and Musashi-Mitake transportation area has 11,500 units installed. This boasts a coverage rate of approximately 42% against the 26,983 corporate taxis in the Special Wards and Musashi-Mitake transportation area (as of the end of March, Reiwa 5, according to the Kanto District Transport Bureau).

 "TAXIATER" Taxi Film Festival to Be Held

The "TAXIATER" taxi film festival is Japan's first film festival, held under the concept of "LIFE IS MOVEMENTS. Life is a series of movements." Three newly produced short films by Academy Award-caliber creators will be screened for a limited time on signage media in 100 taxis operating in Tokyo's 23 wards.

By positioning taxi interiors and signage media as "moving cinemas"—neither traditional cinemas nor video streaming platforms—and showing high-quality short films, the festival aims to create a new cinematic experience and a new taxi experience that transports passengers, after their ride, to a place beyond here, towards tomorrow.

Going forward, featured cast members and theme songs for each work will be announced sequentially. Please look forward to further updates.

 Participation of Renowned Creators Confirmed

Introduction of Participating Creators

＜Work 1＞ (Sponsored by: Laundry Detergent "Attack")