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

Thu Nov 2 06:13:53 EDT 2017

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 TurnourFilm Preservation, National Archives of Australia

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad

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)
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.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/kinejapan/attachments/20171102/3071d206/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
KineJapan mailing list
KineJapan at lists.osu.edu
https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan