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

Thu Nov 2 08:39:54 EDT 2017

Congratulations! Excellent news!

On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 10:13 AM, Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via
KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:

>
> 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> 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 JAPAN
> Phone: +81-23-641-1212 (ext. 637) <+81-23-641-1212;637>
> Email: creative-yamagata at city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp
> 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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