japanese

The Endurance and Future of 8mm Movies

In cooperation with: Society of Preserving Filmic Expression, Film Makers Field (FMF)
* This program will be screened with no English subtitles or simultaneous translation via earphone.

In January of this year, Fujifilm, the last domestic manufacturer and distributor of 8mm film, withdrew its April 2006 announcement that it would cease production and instead announced that it would continue making 8mm film for at least another three to five years. It is impressive that the driving force behind the reversal was the passionate messages from the Society of Preserving Filmic Expression (Firumu Bunka o Sonzoku Saseru Kai) and other 8mm film lovers. Held in conjunction with Tohoku University of Art & Design’s Art Festival, this special event features screenings of the latest from the annual Fukuoka-based Personal Focus 8mm three-minute-film festival—which has now existed for twenty years, since the heyday of 8mm filmmaking—as well as a symposium examining future possibilities for continuation and preservation of the medium.

—Kato Itaru (Associate Professor, Tohoku University of Art & Design)


Society of Preserving Filmic Expression

Established in July 2006 in reaction to Fujifilm’s announcement that it was going to stop selling Single 8, this is a gathering of like-minded people with a love of film culture who campaign for its survival. Their mandate is focused on the survival of not only 8mm, but also 35mm and 16mm movie film, as well as film culture as a whole, including silver-salt photography. They advocate the importance of film media and the expansion of the demand for film, and hold regional screenings and symposiums. They are negotiating with Fujifilm with a view to keeping Single 8 going. As of August 22, 2007, the Committee’s membership stands at 312 people.

Founders:
Obayashi Nobuhiko (director), Takabayashi Yoichi (director), Iimura Takahiko (filmmaker), Matsumoto Toshio (filmmaker), Hatano Tetsuro (film scholar), Hoshino Akira (filmmaker, professor at Tama Art University), Okubo Kenichi (film critic), Yamazaki Mikio (filmmaker), Kurokawa Hoshu (filmmaker), Mizuyoshi Akira (Mistral Japan, One’s Eyes Film), Katayama Kaoru (Mistral Japan, One’s Eyes Film), Ota Yo (experimental filmmaker), Manjome Jun (filmmaker), Kurokawa Yumiko (executive committee of the Tama Cinema Forum), Hara Masato (director), Horikoshi Kenzo (director of Eurospace, professor at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music), Omori Kazuki (director)