Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held biennially in Yamagata, Japan (38°15′N 140°20′E ).
| Location | Yamagata, Japan |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| No. of films | 238 |
| Language | International |
| Website | http://www.yidff.jp/home-e.html |
It was first held in October 1989, which makes it one of the longest running documentary film festivals in the world and the most distinguished such festival in Asia. Its emphasis is on showcasing best achievements in documentary filmmaking, as well as promoting and popularizing the genre and documentary filmmaking in the region.
The festival was most recently held in October 2007. 1,633 films from 109 countries were submitted, with 238 films screened as part of the international and regional competitions. The festival attracted an audience of around 23,000 people.[1] Since 2001, the competition includes films shot in DV. In 1991, a Young Asian Talents section was established.[2]
Awards
A number of prizes are awarded at the festival, including:
- For films in the international competition:
- Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize (The Grand Prize)
- Mayor's Prize (Prize of Excellence)
- Special Jury Prize
- Runner-up Prize
- For films in the regional competition:
- Shinsuke Ogawa Award, for new up-and-coming Asian filmmakers
- Overall:
- Citizens' Prize, voted for by the festival audiences
Award winners
1989 YIDFF
The first festival edition was held 10–15 October 1989. Along with the competition screenings, the festival hosted a retrospective of films by Robert and Frances Flaherty and a comprehensive screening of Japanese documentaries from the first half of the 20th century. In total, 80 films were seen by an audience of around 12,000.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
(Skersiela) |
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(Award of Excellence) |
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(Het Oog boven de put) Nobody Listened (Nadie escuchaba) Weapons of the Spirit (Les Armes de l'esprit) |
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(Tiden har inget namn) |
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(Les Armes de l'esprit) |
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1991 YIDFF
The second festival edition was held 7–13 October 1991. Along with the competition screenings, the festival hosted a program devoted solely to Asian films, as well as a selection of Japanese films from the post-WWII period. In total, 153 films were shown, which attracted an audience of around 14,000.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
 | |
(Award of Excellence) |
(Ha-Behirah V'Hagoral) |
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OnceThere Were Seven Simeons (Reiz dzivoja septini Simeoni) |
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(Le Cantique des pierres) |
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(Kutty Japanin Kuzhandaigal) |
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(Kutty Japanin Kuzhandaigal) |
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1993 YIDFF
The third festival edition was held 5–11 October 1993. Along with the competition screenings, the festival hosted a selection of Asian films, as well as a selection of films focusing on native peoples from North and South America, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. The Shinsuke Ogawa Award for most promising Asian film director in the New Asian Currents program was introduced. In total, 139 films were shown. As an illustrative example, one of the official selections, Le pays des sourds (In the Land of the Deaf) focused primarily on Deaf communities in France; but the documentary also featured a brief segment identifying commonalities in French Sign Language and Japanese Sign Language. The event attracted an audience of around 20,000 people.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
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(Award of Excellence) |
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(Agano ni ikiru) Loss Is to Be Expected (Mit Verlust ist zu rechnen) |
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(Le Cantique des pierres) |
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(Raam Ke Naam) |
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1995 YIDFF
The fourth festival edition was held 3–9 October 1995. Along with the competition screenings, the festival hosted a retrospective of films from the early days of cinema in honor of the Lumière brothers' cinematograph centennial. In total, 278 films were shown, which attracted an audience of around 21,000 people.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
(Ha-Behirah V'Hagoral) |
 |
(Award of Excellence) |
(Metaal en melancholie) |
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(Drehbuch - Die Zeiten) Picture of Light |
.svg.png){kind=small} | |
(Pitra, Putra Aur Dharamyuddha) |
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(Najeun moksori) |
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(Drehbuch - Die Zeiten) |
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(Guang Chang) Last Farewell USSR |
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Special Mention |
(Ni tsutsumarete) |
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Scenes of Violence (Katatsumori) |
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1997 YIDFF
The fifth festival edition was held 6–13 October 1997. In all competitions and programs 187 films were shown, and attendance was around 23,000.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
(Shivrei T'munot Yerushalayim) |
|
(Award of Excellence) |
(Afriques: Comment ça va avec la douleur?) |
|
(Papierove hlavy) Tu as crié: Let me go |
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ou l'amour joué? |
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(Hui dao feng huang qiao) |
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(Wang hsiang) |
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Special Mention |
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(Hui dao feng huang qiao) Neon Goddesses |
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1999 YIDFF
The sixth festival edition was held 19–25 October 1999. Apart from the usual international and regional competition programs, a retrospective of films by Joris Ivens was shown. In total 188 films were shown, and attendance was around 20,000.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
(Buenos Aires, meine Geschichte) |
|
(Award of Excellence) |
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(Kehrein, kehraus) Happy Birthday, Mr. Mograbi (Yom Huledet Same'ach Mar Mograbi) |
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(Het Ondergrondse orkest) |
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(Hui dao feng huang qiao) |
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(Leve blant løver) |
 | |
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Special Mention |
(Atarashî kamisama) |
|
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Special Mention |
I Love (080) |
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2001 YIDFF
The seventh festival edition was held 3–9 October 2001. Apart from the usual international and regional competition programs, retrospectives of films by Robert Kramer and Fumio Kamei were shown. In total 183 films were shown, and attendance was around 18,000.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
(La Terre des âmes errantes) |
 |
(Award of Excellence) |
(No Quarto da Vanda) |
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(Dokfa nai meuman) 6 Easy Pieces |
 | |
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(No Quarto da Vanda) My Friend Su |
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Special Mention |
Mysterious Object at Noon (Dokfa nai meuman) |
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2003 YIDFF
The eighth festival edition was held 10–16 October 2003. In total 177 films were shown, and attendance was around 19,000.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
| |
(Award of Excellence) |
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S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (S-21, la machine de mort Khmère rouge) |
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(Tehora) |
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(Tehora) |
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Special Mention |
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2005 YIDFF
The ninth festival edition was held 7–13 October 2005. Apart from the usual regional and international competition programs, the festival screened a selection of films about Zainichi Koreans, as well as screenings of personal documentaries in collaboration with Visions du réel. In total 145 films were shown, and attendance was around 20,000.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
(Yan mo) |
|
(Award of Excellence) |
Journey in Palestine-Israel |
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(Voorland) About a Farm (Hiljainen tila) |
| |
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(Chizu to ujimushi) |
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(Chizu to ujimushi) |
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2007 YIDFF
The tenth festival edition was held 4–11 October 2007. Apart from the usual regional and international competition programs, the festival also screened a program devoted to German documentaries focused on German history. In total 238 films were shown, and attendance was around 23,000.
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
(The Grand Prize) |
(He Fengming) |
|
(Award of Excellence) |
(Encontros) |
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(Potosi, le temps du voyage) M |
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(Tarachime) |
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(Herr Pilipenko und sein U-Boot) Back Drop Kurdistan |
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2009 YIDFF
October 8-15, 2009[3]
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Prizes for the International Competition | ||
| Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize (The Grand Prize) |
Encirclement—Neo-Liberalism Ensnares Democracy | Richard Brouillette (Canada) |
| Mayor's Prize |
Oblivion | Heddy Honigmann (Netherlands/Germany) |
| Special Jury Prize | Japan: A Story of Love and Hate | Sean McAllister (UK/Japan) |
| New Asian Currents Awards | ||
| Shinsuke Ogawa Award | American Alley | Kim Dong-ryung (Korea) |
| Citizens' Prize | Japan: A Story of Love and Hate | Sean McAllister (UK/Japan) |
| Yuri—About Loving | Azuma Mieko (Germany) | |
| Community Cinema Award | Bilal | Sourav Sarangi (India) |
| Directors' Guild of Japan Award | Doctor Ma’s Country Clinic | Cong Feng (China) |
2011 YIDFF
October 6-13, 2011[4]
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Prizes for the International Competition | ||
| Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize (The Grand Prize) |
The Collaborator and His Family | Ruthie Shatz, Adi Barash (USA/Israel/France) |
| Mayor's Prize |
Nostalgia for the Light | Patricio Guzmán (France/Germany/Chile) |
| Awards of Excellence | Apuda | He Yuan |
| The Woman with the 5 Elephants | Vadim Jendreyko (Switzerland/Germany) | |
| Special Jury Prize | Distinguished Flying Cross | Travis Wilkerson (USA) |
| New Asian Currents Awards | ||
| Shinsuke Ogawa Award | Yuguo and His Mother | Gu Tao (China) |
| Citizens' Prize | The Woman with the 5 Elephants | Vadim Jendreyko |
| Iranian Cookbook | Mohammad Shirvani (Iran) | |
| Community Cinema Award | Iranian Cookbook | Mohammad Shirvani |
| Directors' Guild of Japan Award | Prison and Paradise | Daniel Rudi Haryanto (Indonesia) |
2013 YIDFF
October 10-17, 2013[5]
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Prizes for the International Competition | ||
| Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize (The Grand Prize) |
A World Not Ours | Mahdi Fleifel |
| Mayor's Prize |
The Act of Killing | Joshua Oppenheimer |
| Awards of Excellence | Revision | Philip Scheffner |
| The Other Day | Ignacio Agüero | |
| Special Jury Prize | Tour of Duty | Kim Dong-ryung, Park Kyoung-tae |
| New Asian Currents Awards | ||
| Shinsuke Ogawa Award | Mrs. Bua’s Carpet | Duong Mong Thu |
| Awards of Excellence | Raging Land 3: Three Valleys | Chan Yin Kai, Choi Yuen Villagers |
| Mohtarama | Malek Shafi’i, Diana Saqeb | |
| Special Mentions | War Is a Tender Thing | Adjani Arumpac |
| Citizens' Prize | The Punk Syndrome | Jukka Kärkkäinen, J-P Passi |
| The Targeted Village | Mikami Chie | |
| Community Cinema Award | We Want (U) to Know | Ella Pugliese, Nou Va, The people of Thnol Lok |
| Directors' Guild of Japan Award | The Targeted Village | Mikami Chie |
2015 YIDFF
October 8-15, 2015[6]
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Prizes for the International Competition | ||
| Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize (The Grand Prize) |
Horse Money | Pedro Costa |
| Mayor's Prize |
The Pearl Button | Patricio Guzmán |
| Awards of Excellence | Homeland (Iraq Year Zero) | Abbas Fahdel |
| Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait | Ossama Mohammed, Wiam Simav Bedirxan | |
| Special Jury Prize | Us women . Them women | Julia Pesce |
| New Asian Currents Awards | ||
| Shinsuke Ogawa Award | Standing Men | Maya Abdul-Malak |
| Awards of Excellence | Snakeskin | Daniel Hui |
| Each Story | Okuma Katsuya | |
| Citizens' Prize | Homeland (Iraq Year Zero) | Abbas Fahdel |
| Directors' Guild of Japan Award | My No-Mercy Home | Aori |
2017 YIDFF
October 5-12, 2017[7]
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Prizes for the International Competition | ||
| Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize (The Grand Prize) |
Communion | Anna Zamecka |
| Mayor's Prize |
A Memory in Khaki | Alfoz Tanjour |
| Awards of Excellence | Lone Existence | Sha Qing |
| I am Not Your Negro | Raoul Peck | |
| Special Jury Prize | In the Intense Now | João Moreira Salles |
| New Asian Currents Awards | ||
| Shinsuke Ogawa Award | Yellowing | Chan Tze-Woon |
| Awards of Excellence | The Slice Room | Song Yun-hyeok |
| Up Down & Sideways | Anushka Meenakshi, Iswar Srikumar | |
| Special Mentions | Bamseom Pirates, Seoul Inferno | Jung Yoon-suk |
| City of Jade | Midi Z | |
| Citizens' Prize | Sennan Asbestos Disaster | Hara Kazuo |
| Directors' Guild of Japan Award | Up Down & Sideways | Anushka Meenakshi, Iswar Srikumar |
References
- "YIDFF 2007 Information". Yamagata IDFF. 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- Lamant, Ludovic. "Words from a festival programmer". Cahiers du cinéma. Cannes (May 2008 Special Issue): 20. ISSN 0008-011X.
- "YIDFF: Past Festivals: 2009". www.yidff.jp. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
- "YIDFF: Past Festivals: 2011". www.yidff.jp. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
- "YIDFF: Past Festivals: 2013". www.yidff.jp. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
- "YIDFF: Past Festivals: 2013". www.yidff.jp. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
- "YIDFF: Past Festivals: 2017". www.yidff.jp. Retrieved 2019-08-21.