[KineJapan] YIDFF Media Release [Nov 2, 2017]

Thu Nov 2 12:21:01 EDT 2017

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.

Linda Ehrlich
linda.ehrlich at gmail.com <mailto:linda.ehrlich at gmail.com>
braidednarrative.com <http://braidednarrative.com/>

> On Nov 2, 2017, at 7:54 AM, Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:
> 
> 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!
> 
> Markus
> 
> --- 
> Markus Nornes
> Professor of Asian Cinema
> Department of Screen Arts and Cultures, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Penny Stamps School of Art & Design
> 
> Department of Screen Arts and Cultures
> 6348 North Quad
> 105 S. State Street
> Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285
> 
> 
> 2017-11-02 19:13 GMT+09:00 Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu <mailto:kinejapan at lists.osu.edu>>:
> 
> 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
> 
> 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.
> 
> Quentin Turnour
> Film Preservation, National Archives of Australia
> 
> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad <https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS>
> 
> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> On Thursday, November 2, 2017, 8:10 pm, YIDFF <info at yidff.jp <mailto:info at yidff.jp>> wrote:
> 
> Media Release
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> 
> Yamagata City designated UNESCO Creative City of Film
> Joins international network to foster innovation and creativity
> 
> 
> Yamagata, 31 October 2017 (Paris time) – The Japanese city of 
> Yamagata has been designated as member of the UNESCO Creative Cities 
> Network. It is the first Japanese city to achieve the designation in 
> the field of Film.
> 
> Yamagata, together with 63 other cities from 44 countries, will now 
> join 116 existing member cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities 
> Network (UCCN). With the designation, Yamagata will expand its 
> exchange and collaboration with other UCCN member cities to further 
> advance sustainable urban development by utilizing the film sector 
> and its other cultural assets.
> 
> “I am delighted that Yamagata City has been designated the first 
> Japanese City of Film under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. I 
> believe it is the active citizen participation in film culture, 
> including the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, that 
> was recognized and evaluated highly. I am determined to take this 
> designation as a new beginning to embark on projects which combine 
> Yamagata’s unique cultural assets and industries, in order to 
> further stimulate local development. We shall deepen exchange with 
> other membership cities and promote Yamagata across Japan and around 
> the world. I wish to express my appreciation to all parties, 
> including the citizens of Yamagata, for their support and 
> activities, and ask for continued assistance in the future,” said 
> Takahiro Sato, Mayor of Yamagata.
> 
> “So well deserved and can’t wait to be working with you,” said David 
> Wilson, Director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film, UCCN’s first City 
> of Film.
> 
> 
> [About UNESCO Creative Cities Network]
> UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was established in 2004 to 
> foster strategic cooperation among cities that have identified 
> creativity as a driver for sustainable development. With advanced 
> globalization threatening local cultures around the world, the 
> framework was initiated to protect cultural diversity, uphold social 
> inclusion, and stimulate the potential of creative industries. The 
> Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media 
> Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music.
> Yamagata will now be the eighth Japanese city in the UCCN 
> membership, and join a network of 13 Cities of Film in the world.
> 
> UNESCO CCN Japanese members
> Design: Kobe (2008), Nagoya (2008)
> Crafts and Folk Arts: Kanazawa (2009), Sasayama (2015)
> Media Arts: Sapporo (2013)
> Music: Hamamatsu (2014)
> Gastronomy: Tsuruoka (2014)
> Film: Yamagata (2017)
> 
> UNESCO CCN City of Film members
> Bradford (UK), Sydney (Australia), Busan (South Korea), Galway 
> (Ireland), Sophia (Bulgaria), Bitola (Macedonia), Rome (Italy), 
> Santos (Brazil)
> New: Bristol (UK), Łódź (Poland), Qingdao (China), Terrassa (Spain), 
> Yamagata (Japan)
> 
> 
> [Yamagata’s application]
> Film has accompanied Yamagata throughout history. Film lovers 
> brought movies back to this regional city right after World War II, 
> and this special affection for film is alive to this day.
> There are 21 commercial screens for a city of 250,000 – including 
> art-house films and documentary, the diversity of international 
> films seen in this city is exemplary. Yamagata International 
> Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF), Asia’s first international film 
> festival to specialize in documentary, was launched in Yamagata in 
> 1989, and this biennial event now gathers 24,000 admissions, 
> inviting 150 filmmakers and professionals from around the globe – a 
> valuable forum to discuss the state of the world and cinema. Films 
> from the festival are archived in the Yamagata Documentary Film 
> Library, where over 14,500 can be viewed for research purposes. 
> After the devastating 2011 earthquake in eastern Japan, the Library 
> began a commemorative archive for documentaries about the disaster. 
> The Yamagata Film Commission has effectively promoted surrounding 
> regions for professional filming, providing free support and 
> services to generate an economic worth of over 227,000 USD in the 
> past five years. Young people who study film at the Tohoku 
> University of Art & Design move on after graduation to become 
> important pillars in the Japanese film industry. Through these 
> activities, which have stimulated the local economy and culture, 
> Yamagata has become known to the world as a City of Film.
> 
> The city also prides a wide range of cultural assets outside of the 
> film field. It is home to the only professional symphony orchestra 
> in northeastern Japan, and the Yamagata Museum of Art which owns a 
> prized collection of French modern paintings. The Yamadera temple is 
> known for its association with the haiku master Basho; unique 
> culinary traditions associated with maiko entertainment are carried 
> on; the Tohoku University of Art & Design brightens the inner city 
> with contemporary art by hosting the Yamagata Biennale; Ironcasting 
> and bladesmithing are traditional crafts that are treasured to this 
> day. Yamagata shall strategically combine these cultural resources 
> with the film medium as pillar, to promote the development of the city.
> 
> [Upcoming plans]
> With the designation, Yamagata will further collaboration with UCCN 
> member cities in its planned action plans.  Yamagata will:
> - open film to the uninitiated, widen world views, and train people 
> to take leadership roles in culture
> - foster empathy and appreciation for multiformity among youngsters 
> through film education
> - support filmmakers from developing countries and enhance 
> opportunities to complete and show their work in Artists-in-Residencies
> - reaffirm Yamagata’s traditions while sharing the joy of film with 
> cities in developing countries
> - inspire understanding for the Creative Cities concept and 
> strengthen collaboration among Network cities through international 
> conferences
> 
> [Contact]
> Cultural Promotion Division, Yamagata City
> 2-3-25 Hatago-machi, Yamagata City, Yamagata, 990-8540 <tel:990-8540> JAPAN
> Phone: +81-23-641-1212 (ext. 637) <tel:+81-23-641-1212;637>
> Email: creative-yamagata at city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp <mailto:creative-yamagata at city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp>
> https://www.creative-yamagata.en <https://www.creative-yamagata.en/>
> 
> 
> About Yamagata City
> Yamagata City is the capital of Yamagata Prefecture, situated 350 
> kilometers north of Tokyo (about three hours by bullet train), with 
> a population of 250,000. The city is blessed with rice, sake, 
> buckwheat noodles, cherries, and other fruits, and is close to the 
> famous hot-spring resort of Zao. Yamagata City, with three movie 
> theaters (21 screens), is reputed to have the most passionate and 
> enthusiastic filmgoers in Japan.
> 
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