>> YIDFF 2019

Yamagata and Film

• October 11–16   [Venues] M1 M2 Yamagata Museum of Art 1, 2, YM Yamagata Manabikan, F3 Forum 3

What has the 30-year journey of this festival looked like? This program examines the “Creative City” of Yamagata from multiple perspectives, as both a festival venue and a central force in spreading film culture. YIDFF Thirty Years: Our Past and Our Future reflects on the festival’s history through two films: A Movie Capital, that documents the struggles of the first YIDFF, and A Movie Capital Again, about a transitional period for the festival. Tohoku University of Art and Design, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Project explores Yamagata through the physical art of butoh dancer Ohno Kazuo. Footage of a butoh performance filmed in Yamagata in 2000 will be screened for the first time, and a live dance performance by Kawaguchi Takao inspired by Ohno Kazuo entitled About Kazuo Ohno is also scheduled. Yamagata Through Images features “Living in Snow Country! What is Seccho?” a film that chronicles Japan’s only snow damage research center in Shinjo city, through footage and interviews; and 16mm films from the vaults of the Prefectural Education Center. In addition, the line-up includes Home Movie Day featuring 8mm films brought by festival attendees and staff, an exhibition of of valuable documents about movie theaters around Yamagata Prefecture, and screenings of works about traditional culture. Here’s to the next thirty years!

A Movie Capital  Dir: Iizuka Toshio / 1991 / 98 min   • Oct. 14 15:50 M1
A Movie Capital Again  Dir: Iizuka Toshio / 2007 / 90 min   • Oct. 14 18:15 M1

Portrait of Mr. O  Dir: Nagano Chiaki / 1969 / 65 min   • Oct. 15 10:00 YM [Admission Free]
Mandara of Mr. O  Dir: Nagano Chiaki / 1971 / 119 min   • Oct. 16 10:00 YM [Admission Free]
Mr. O’s Book of the Dead  Dir: Nagano Chiaki / 1973 / 88 min   • Oct. 16 13:00 YM [Admission Free]

Snow Country  Dir: Ishimoto Tokichi / 1939 / 40 min
+ Talk: Living in Snow Country!   • Oct. 12 13:45 M1

Mogamigawa no uta—Mokichi  47 min
Wakai chikara  16 min
Yamagata: Mizu to kurashi  30 min   • Oct. 14 13:00 YM [Admission Free]

The World’s “Top” Theater  30 min   • Oct. 14 17:00 YM

Yamagata Maiko—Traditional Performing Arts in the Modern Day  Dir: Sato Koichi / 2019 / 26 min   • Oct. 11 15:00, 16:00 YM [Admission Free] (screens twice)

Exhibition

Movie Theaters in Yamagata  • Oct. 11–16 10:00–17:00 YM [Admission Free]

Ono Kazuo, Motofuji Akiko buto no kai  (Loop Exhibiiton) 2000   • Oct. 11–16 10:00–17:00 YM [Admission Free]

Symposium

Toward the Establishment of a New Creative City Base   • Oct. 13 13:00 YM [Admission Free]

The Time-Space of Images Towards a Multi-faceted Film Archive 2   • Oct. 12 10:30 M2 (Yamagata Museum of Art 2)

Events

Dance Performance: About Kazuo Ohno   • Oct. 14 19:00 YM (Yamagata Manabikan 3F) [Admission Free]
Advanced reservation is required. (Admission Free) Application form [It has been closed]

Talk: YIDFF Thirty Years: Our Past and Our Future  • Oct. 15 13:30 YM [Admission Free]

Home Movie Day in YIDFF 2019   • Oct. 15 16:00 F3 (Forum 3) [Admission Free]
Screening of 8mm films brought by festival attendees and staff. For details about films to be screened, please look out for our Facebook page, and for flyers distributed during the festival!