<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">This is really something to be proud of. Film doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves in the large Japanese arts awards. Hopefully this will help change that.<div class=""><br class=""><div class="">
<div class="">Linda Ehrlich</div><div class=""><a href="mailto:linda.ehrlich@gmail.com" class="">linda.ehrlich@gmail.com</a></div><div class=""><a href="http://braidednarrative.com" class="">braidednarrative.com</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Nov 2, 2017, at 7:54 AM, Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <<a href="mailto:kinejapan@lists.osu.edu" class="">kinejapan@lists.osu.edu</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class="">This is really great news, and for all sorts of reasons. In an age where it seems nearly every documentary film festival has a market and/or pitching sessions, Yamagata is centered on the films, film culture, and the world itself. It so impressive. The festival is deeply subvented by the city of Yamagata, and the UNESCO designation will help ensure they will keep supporting it well into the future. Great!<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Markus</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all" class=""><div class=""><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136)" class="">--- </span><br style="color:rgb(136,136,136)" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div style="font-size:small" class=""><font face="courier new, monospace" color="#274e13" class=""><b class="">Markus Nornes</b></font></div><div style="font-size:small" class=""><span style="font-family:'courier new',monospace" class=""><font color="#38761d" class=""><b class="">Professor of Asian Cinema</b></font></span></div><div class=""><font size="1" color="#38761d" class=""><font face="courier new, monospace" class="">Department of Screen Arts and Cultures</font><span style="font-family:'courier new',monospace" class="">, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Penny Stamps </span><span style="font-family:'courier new',monospace" class="">School of Art & Design</span></font></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-size:small" class=""><font face="courier new, monospace" color="#6aa84f" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><font face="courier new, monospace" size="1" color="#93c47d" class=""><b class="">Department of Screen Arts and Cultures</b></font></div><div class=""><font face="courier new, monospace" size="1" color="#93c47d" class=""><b class="">6348 North Quad</b></font></div><div class=""><font face="courier new, monospace" size="1" color="#93c47d" class=""><b class="">105 S. State Street</b></font></div><div class=""><font face="courier new, monospace" size="1" color="#93c47d" class=""><b class="">Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285</b></font></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136)" class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br class=""><div class="gmail_quote">2017-11-02 19:13 GMT+09:00 Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <span dir="ltr" class=""><<a href="mailto:kinejapan@lists.osu.edu" target="_blank" class="">kinejapan@lists.osu.edu</a>></span>:<br class=""><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div class="">
<br class="">Some group members have probably seen this from three + different sources already. I know this list's founders were also in on the origins of the Yamagata documentary festival, whilst many other readers have been minor or major contributors over the years, or just habitual attendees<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">But for those for whom this is news and interest, I think congratulations should go to the Yamagata people. Its not just the cumulation of the 25 years and more of the festival which has made the UNESCO recognition possible, but also the what must be the getting close on 10 years that the city has been tuning their submission and making their pitch for this.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Quentin Turnour</div><div class="">Film Preservation, National Archives of Australia<br class=""><br class=""><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" target="_blank" class="">Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad</a><br class=""><br class=""><p class="m_621387425189196242yahoo-quoted-begin" style="font-size:15px;color:#715ffa;padding-top:15px;margin-top:0"><span style="color:#aaaaaa" class="">Begin forwarded message:</span><br class=""><br class="">On Thursday, November 2, 2017, 8:10 pm, YIDFF <<a href="mailto:info@yidff.jp" target="_blank" class="">info@yidff.jp</a>> wrote:</p><blockquote class="m_621387425189196242iosymail"><div dir="ltr" class="">Media Release<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata City designated UNESCO Creative City of Film<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Joins international network to foster innovation and creativity<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata, 31 October 2017 (Paris time) – The Japanese city of <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata has been designated as member of the UNESCO Creative Cities <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Network. It is the first Japanese city to achieve the designation in <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">the field of Film.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata, together with 63 other cities from 44 countries, will now <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">join 116 existing member cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Network (UCCN). With the designation, Yamagata will expand its <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">exchange and collaboration with other UCCN member cities to further <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">advance sustainable urban development by utilizing the film sector <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">and its other cultural assets.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">“I am delighted that Yamagata City has been designated the first <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Japanese City of Film under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. I <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">believe it is the active citizen participation in film culture, <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">including the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, that <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">was recognized and evaluated highly. I am determined to take this <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">designation as a new beginning to embark on projects which combine <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata’s unique cultural assets and industries, in order to <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">further stimulate local development. We shall deepen exchange with <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">other membership cities and promote Yamagata across Japan and around <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">the world. I wish to express my appreciation to all parties, <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">including the citizens of Yamagata, for their support and <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">activities, and ask for continued assistance in the future,” said <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Takahiro Sato, Mayor of Yamagata.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">“So well deserved and can’t wait to be working with you,” said David <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Wilson, Director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film, UCCN’s first City <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">of Film.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">[About UNESCO Creative Cities Network]<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was established in 2004 to <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">foster strategic cooperation among cities that have identified <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">creativity as a driver for sustainable development. With advanced <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">globalization threatening local cultures around the world, the <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">framework was initiated to protect cultural diversity, uphold social <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">inclusion, and stimulate the potential of creative industries. The <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata will now be the eighth Japanese city in the UCCN <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">membership, and join a network of 13 Cities of Film in the world.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">UNESCO CCN Japanese members<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Design: Kobe (2008), Nagoya (2008)<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Crafts and Folk Arts: Kanazawa (2009), Sasayama (2015)<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Media Arts: Sapporo (2013)<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Music: Hamamatsu (2014)<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Gastronomy: Tsuruoka (2014)<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Film: Yamagata (2017)<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">UNESCO CCN City of Film members<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Bradford (UK), Sydney (Australia), Busan (South Korea), Galway <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">(Ireland), Sophia (Bulgaria), Bitola (Macedonia), Rome (Italy), <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Santos (Brazil)<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">New: Bristol (UK), Łódź (Poland), Qingdao (China), Terrassa (Spain), <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata (Japan)<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">[Yamagata’s application]<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Film has accompanied Yamagata throughout history. Film lovers <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">brought movies back to this regional city right after World War II, <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">and this special affection for film is alive to this day.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">There are 21 commercial screens for a city of 250,000 – including <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">art-house films and documentary, the diversity of international <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">films seen in this city is exemplary. Yamagata International <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF), Asia’s first international film <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">festival to specialize in documentary, was launched in Yamagata in <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">1989, and this biennial event now gathers 24,000 admissions, <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">inviting 150 filmmakers and professionals from around the globe – a <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">valuable forum to discuss the state of the world and cinema. Films <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">from the festival are archived in the Yamagata Documentary Film <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Library, where over 14,500 can be viewed for research purposes. <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">After the devastating 2011 earthquake in eastern Japan, the Library <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">began a commemorative archive for documentaries about the disaster. <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">The Yamagata Film Commission has effectively promoted surrounding <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">regions for professional filming, providing free support and <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">services to generate an economic worth of over 227,000 USD in the <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">past five years. Young people who study film at the Tohoku <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">University of Art & Design move on after graduation to become <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">important pillars in the Japanese film industry. Through these <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">activities, which have stimulated the local economy and culture, <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata has become known to the world as a City of Film.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">The city also prides a wide range of cultural assets outside of the <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">film field. It is home to the only professional symphony orchestra <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">in northeastern Japan, and the Yamagata Museum of Art which owns a <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">prized collection of French modern paintings. The Yamadera temple is <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">known for its association with the haiku master Basho; unique <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">culinary traditions associated with maiko entertainment are carried <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">on; the Tohoku University of Art & Design brightens the inner city <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">with contemporary art by hosting the Yamagata Biennale; Ironcasting <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">and bladesmithing are traditional crafts that are treasured to this <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">day. Yamagata shall strategically combine these cultural resources <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">with the film medium as pillar, to promote the development of the city.<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">[Upcoming plans]<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">With the designation, Yamagata will further collaboration with UCCN <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">member cities in its planned action plans. Yamagata will:<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">- open film to the uninitiated, widen world views, and train people <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">to take leadership roles in culture<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">- foster empathy and appreciation for multiformity among youngsters <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">through film education<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">- support filmmakers from developing countries and enhance <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">opportunities to complete and show their work in Artists-in-Residencies<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">- reaffirm Yamagata’s traditions while sharing the joy of film with <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">cities in developing countries<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">- inspire understanding for the Creative Cities concept and <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">strengthen collaboration among Network cities through international <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">conferences<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">[Contact]<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Cultural Promotion Division, Yamagata City<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">2-3-25 Hatago-machi, Yamagata City, Yamagata, <a dir="ltr" href="tel:990-8540" target="_blank" class="">990-8540</a> JAPAN<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Phone: <a dir="ltr" href="tel:+81-23-641-1212;637" target="_blank" class="">+81-23-641-1212 (ext. 637)</a><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Email: <a href="mailto:creative-yamagata@city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp" target="_blank" class="">creative-yamagata@city.<wbr class="">yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp</a><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><a href="https://www.creative-yamagata.en/" target="_blank" class="">https://www.creative-yamagata.<wbr class="">en</a><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">About Yamagata City<br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">Yamagata City is the capital of Yamagata Prefecture, situated 350 <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">kilometers north of Tokyo (about three hours by bullet train), with <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">a population of 250,000. The city is blessed with rice, sake, <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">buckwheat noodles, cherries, and other fruits, and is close to the <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">famous hot-spring resort of Zao. Yamagata City, with three movie <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">theaters (21 screens), is reputed to have the most passionate and <br class=""></div><div dir="ltr" class="">enthusiastic filmgoers in Japan.<br class=""></div><blockquote class=""></blockquote></blockquote></div>
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