[KineJapan] NFAJ cuts

[Alexander Jacoby]

Dear KineJapan colleagues,

We're coming back to this a little late, but we thought that members of
this list might wish to know that the news about the NFAJ budget cuts broke
while we were in Bologna, screening the Ito Daisuke programme we had
arranged for Il Cinema Ritrovato in collaboration with the Japan
Foundation, the Yanai Initiative, and the NFAJ itself.

Tamada Kenta from the archive was present, introducing screenings of two
quite amazing restorations from original nitrate negatives (what an
advertisement they were for the work of a film archive! - Gero no kubi in
particular looked incandescent!). Tamada-san gave an impassioned speech
explaining the situation, and stayed back after the screening for some
while fielding questions and receiving expressions of sympathy from members
of the audience. The following day, when Johan and I did our final
introduction for the series (for Hangyakuji), we again highlighted the
issue (Johan gave his own impassioned speech!), and encouraged people to
write to the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs / join in the
crowd-funding which the NFAJ is now having to have recourse to, etc.

We wonder if the celebrity proponents of film restoration, such as Martin
Scorsese, are aware of this situation. Perhaps they could do some kind of
good.

Best wishes to all,


ALEX and JOHAN





On Sat, 27 Jun 2026 at 09:14, Maria Jose Gonzalez via KineJapan <
kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

> After the disastrous closure of Chiyoda's National Theatre of Japan, yet
> another reminder of how low the presence and preservation of art fares in
> the government's current agenda. In the meantime, funded with TAXPAYERS'
> money. . . "The government-backed
> 
> After the disastrous closure of Chiyoda's National Theatre of Japan, yet
> another reminder of how low the presence and preservation of art fares in
> the government's current agenda.
> In the meantime, funded with TAXPAYERS' money... "The government-backed
> Cool Japan Fund has cost taxpayers 140.6 billion yen ($937 million USD) in
> directly contributed capital, while approving 83 separate cultural
> investments totalling 204 billion yen ($1.36 billion USD) since its launch
> in 2013." (Nikkei Shimbun, June 24th).
>
> On Thursday, 25 June 2026 at 11:59:51 PM GMT+9, Aaron Gerow via KineJapan <
> kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:
>
>
> The Japanese government has cut the budget for the National Film Archive
> of Japan by 40% for this fiscal year, asserting that the NFAJ has to earn
> more of its budget on its own. There are many problems with this. While
> Japan is now clearly rejecting a European model of public funding, its
> attempt to embrace a neoliberal model of private funding for public
> institutions won’t work until they revamp the tax code (Japanese tex law
> does not provide for the same kind of tax breaks for donations that US law
> does). The NFAJ will now have to pursue extreme cost cutting.
>
> It has also announced it will try to make up some of the loss through
> crowd funding. They are aiming for 100 million yen (about 620,000
> dollars). Here's the link:
>
> https://readyfor.jp/projects/NFAJ2026
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://readyfor.jp/projects/NFAJ2026__;!!FapE6t-4AhA!NkUg8L4OK0lOOIIw7jD-jOnd5Ao9pcsO5Y0rITYW0jrWvoqVKihUVOM8f1oi9TE9oeaeQhvc9JGcyLHy3wXf2WB-ovb0v3HmTPEZ0g$>
>
>
> Aaron Gerow
> Alfred W. Griswold Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures
> and Film and Media Studies
> Yale University
> On leave AY 2025-2026
> 320 York Street, Room 108
> PO Box 208201
> New Haven, CT 06520-8201
> USA
> Phone: 1-203-432-7082
> Fax: 1-203-432-6729
> e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu
> website: www.aarongerow.com
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.aarongerow.com__;!!FapE6t-4AhA!NkUg8L4OK0lOOIIw7jD-jOnd5Ao9pcsO5Y0rITYW0jrWvoqVKihUVOM8f1oi9TE9oeaeQhvc9JGcyLHy3wXf2WB-ovb0v3EapHWaVA$>
>
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