japanese

FIPRESCI & NETPAC Jurors and Prizes

FIPRESCI

FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics, has been in existence for more than 60 years. The basic purpose of the organization, which now has national sections in over 60 countries all over the world (including Japan: the Japan Film Pen Club), is to support cinema as an art and as an outstanding and autonomous means of expression. FIPRESCI also organizes conferences and seminars and is increasingly playing a part in a number of cultural activities designed to protect and encourage independent filmmaking and national cinema. Our “Prize of the International Film Critics” (FIPRESCI Prize) is established at international film festivals, and its aim is to promote film-art and to particularly encourage new and young cinema. We hope (and sometimes we know) that this prize can help some films to get better distribution, or distribution at all, and to win better public attention. We very much appreciate the opportunity to be present, with our jury, in Yamagata, this important and prestigious event dedicated to documentaries.

—Klaus Eder, General Secretary of FIPRESCI

FIPRESCI Prize Jurors

Leo Bankersen

Born in 1947. Freelance film critic, contributing mainly to the Netherlands Press Association (GPD), a large group of regional Dutch newspapers. A board member of the Circle of Dutch Film Journalists (KNF) and involved in the organization of the KNFseminar Culture Shocks on intercultural film criticism earlier this year. Documen-tary film is one of his special interests. “It’s where the filmmaker is challenged by reality most directly.”

Isaka Yoshiyuki

Member of the Japan Film Pen Club and the Japan Society of Image Arts and Sciences. Lecturer at Tokyo Zokei University and Nippon Electronic Engineering College, film scholar, director and producer. Since the 1960s, has researched and critiqued films including documentary, film art and educational films. Also worked for many years on various production projects, particularly commissioned films, for Iwanami Productions. In the late 1960s, promoted organizational support for Ogawa Shinsuke’s early works as a member of the union board. Along with writing reportage and fiction film criticism, also records the characteristics of and change in local communities in his filmmaking, devoting himself to promoting human rights and education.

Altaf Mazid

Has a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Guwahati University. Pursued his cultural enthusiasm as an activist with the Indian Peoples Theater Association, and worked for the film society movement at the same time. In the 1980s, co-founded Anweshak, an organization for the promotion of non-mainstream Indian cinema, and began writing about film. Has a large number of articles to his credit. Currently engaged in the study of cinema as a government employee as the Secretary of the Centre for Film Culture.

 

NETPAC

NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) is an international organization of 25 member countries, with its headquarters in Singapore. It was founded in 1990 with the purpose of promoting Asian cinema in Asia and around the world. As part of its many activities, NETPAC established the NETPAC award in 1994 at a number of international film festivals to recognize outstanding or innovative work by an established or an emerging young director from an Asian country. The award is given to an Asian film presented in a festival irrespective of the section in which it is included. A growing number of international film festivals annually invite a jury of three NETPAC members to select the award winner. Among these festivals are: Amiens, Berlin (Young Forum), CineManila, Dhaka, Karlovy Vary, Pusan, Rotterdam, Singapore, Taipei Documentary and Yamagata.

NETPAC Award Jurors

Ishizaka Kenji

Born in 1960 in Tokyo. Film Coordinator of The Japan Foundation Asia Center. Since 1990, has organized and managed more than fifty screenings of Asian films. Recent projects include the Guru Dutt Retrospective and the 2001 Korean Cinema Project. Lecturer at Tohoku University and Meiji Gakuin University. Visiting Professor at the Korean National University of Arts. Co-editor with Izuchi Kishu of Hara Kazuo’s book Stepping Out Camera (Fumikoeru Kyamera).

Nam In-young

Born in Seoul in 1963. Film critic, professor at Hong-ik University. Received her MA in Cinema Studies, New York University and Ph.D. Candidate at Chung-Ang University, Seoul. Co-produced independent documentaries at Seoul Visual Collective from 1986 to 1993. Programmer of Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (since 1997) and Seoul Independent Documentary Video & Film Festival (2001), associate programmer for Korean short films and documentary at Pusan International Film Festival in 2000. Served on international film festival juries in the past.

Gotot Prakosa

Born in 1955. Studied film at the Jakarta Institute for the Arts. Has made many experimental and animation films in Super-8 and 16mm since 1975, which have been shown various film festivals in the world. In 1993, his five works including Meta-Meta (1977) and Genesis Genesis (1981) were shown in the Asia Program at YIDFF. Currently teaching at the Jakarta Institute for the Arts and working at Djarot Brother’s Ekapraya Films.