Screening dates and booking

Credits

  • Director

    Yasuhiro Aoki

  • Screenwriter

    Saku Konohana

  • With

    Oji Suzuka, Anna Yamada

  • Japan 2025. 90min

  • Courtesy of

    STUDIO4℃ Co.,Ltd

  • Language

    Japanese

    With English subtitles

Introduction

In a future Shanghai, where humans and merpeople co-exist, mermaid princess ChaO proposes to Stephan, a human ship worker who finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of romance, misunderstanding and chaos. With some beautifully drawn and weirdly psychedelic character design, and an enjoyably surreal story that teases out important underlying themes, ChaO is a true original.

Justin Johnson

How to book

Tickets start from £10 for all screenings and events in London, with concessions available for many screenings. Booking information and ticket prices.

If you’re aged 16 to 25, sign up for free to BFI 25 and Under for a chance to get £6 tickets to all screenings and events (subject to availability).

Missed out?

More tickets may become available for these screenings before and during the festival. Find out about extra ticket releases and standby queues.

Our programmers recommend...

A Useful Ghost

The wife of a factory owner returns from the dead to haunt a vacuum cleaner in Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s wildly inventive and wonderfully original film.

Read more about A Useful Ghost

Endless Cookie

The classic hangout film gets a charming, witty and politically sharp make-over with this inventive animation that explores the complex and enduring bond of family.

Read more about Endless Cookie

Decorado

Alberto Vázquez follows up Birdboy: The Forgotten Children and Unicorn Wars with this surreal animated tale about confronting authority and status quo.

Read more about Decorado