Japanese

Yamagata Rough Cut!

Supported by The Japan Foundation

[Venues] Q1 Yamagata Creative City Center Q1 2-B, 2-C

A “rough cut” is a loosely edited, unfinished film. Removing the fixed notion of “film” as a finished whole, the purpose of Yamagata Rough Cut! is to create a space to watch, hear, experience, and discuss the short “rough cut” footage. The program attempts to discover the possibility of a dialogue transcending standpoints, genres, and borders through screening the “raw” footage. We bring together people from all walks of the industry; filmmakers, audiences, critics, and researchers. They interact across roles, and experience together a collection of the world’s unruly, unpolished visual fragments.

Rough Cut Screenings and Discussions
In That DAMMMN Old Day (working title)   Dirs: Chonnicha Taphumin, Torphun Kantamool (THAILAND)   Oct. 13 Q1
Grandpa and Grandma, part of a community displaced 60 years ago by the Bhumibol Dam, now face new threats from the Yuam River Diversion Project, risking their home and way of life once again.

The Hydromantic (working title)   Dir: Kim Sungeun (KOREA)   Oct. 13 Q1
Following water’s flow through the volcanic body of Jeju Island, the film traces resilience across geological, historical, and mythical time. A lone visitor enters a cave where submerged memories—of militarization and exploitation—surface through sound.

At Shoin   Dir: Abe Shuichiro (JAPAN)   Oct. 14 Q1
Publicly funded demolition of buildings is rapidly progressing across the damaged areas following the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. In Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, where the directorI visited, the streetscape is swiftly changing. The camera documents the changing landscapes and fragments of everyday life.

Wind of the City   Dir: Anraku Ryo (JAPAN)   Oct. 14 Q1
Shabu-Gen, a restaurant in front of Nishi-Kasai Station that has been in business for 41 years, is scheduled to close. The film documents the loss of this beloved place in the town where the director was born and raised.


Talk Session
Can Indie Filmmakers Thrive Amid the Co-Production Boom?

Every year, more and more non-European countries encourage filmmakers to collaborate with other countries. This is gradually forming a global co-production landscape. However, challenges in independent filmmaking still remain. How can this co-producing boom help independent filmmaking? We would like to talk about some examples and experiences shared by the speakers.

Speakers: Serge Lalou (Producer / Below the Clouds [2025, YIDFF 2025], The First 54 Years—An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation [2021, YIDFF 2021], Notturno [2020, YIDFF 2021], Dead Souls [2018, YIDFF 2019]), Mai Maksawan (Producer / Unreal Forest [2010, YIDFF 2011], Agrarian Utopia [2009, YIDFF 2009]), Watanabe Kazutaka (Program Coordinator)

[Date] October 14 (Tue) 16:00–18:00
[Venue] Yamagata Creative City Center Q1 2-C