Yamagata Film Criticism Workshop
This project encourages people to read and write about the world through the lens of documentary film, while immersed in the lively atmosphere of a film festival. Professional film critics advise the participants, who write their own articles about films, to be published on a dedicated website during the festival. The Yamagata Film Criticism Workshop will be held online this year.
YIDFF ONLINE!: Yamagata Film Criticism Workshop
Date: Sept 25th (Sat)–Oct 13th (Wed) Online
Mentor of Course in Japanese: Kitakoji Takashi
Film critic, professor at Kyoto University of the Arts. His film criticism appears in Soen and the Asahi Shimbun, among other places. Author of Wong Kar-Wai teki renai (INFAS Publications, 2005), and co-author of Edward Yang saiko/ saiken (Film Art, 2017), Apichatpong Weerasethakul hikari to kioku no artist (Film Art, 2016), Hikizuru eiga (Film Art, 2011), Zero nendai + no eiga (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2011), Pedro Costa tooi heya kara no koe (Sendai Mediatheque, 2007), Eiga no seijigaku (Seikyusha, 2003).
Mentor of Course in English: Chris Fujiwara
Chris Fujiwara is an American film critic and progammer based in Japan. He has written and edited several books on cinema, has contributed to many anthologies and journals, and has lectured widely on films and film programming. Formerly artistic director of Edinburgh International Film Festival, he has also developed film programs for many other institutions. He has organized or served as a mentor for film criticism and film programming workshops at the Berlinale, Singapore International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, the Japan Foundation Asia Center, and elsewhere.
Film Criticism Collective Books
Essays and reviews by participants and mentors in previous Yamagata Film Criticism Workshops have been published in three books. Film Criticism Collective 1 contains texts from the YIDFF 2015 workshop. Film Criticism Collective 2 contains texts from the workshop at Salamindanaw Asian Film Festival 2016 (General Santos, Philippines). Film Criticism Collective 3 contains texts from the workshops at YIDFF 2019 and Cinema Rehiyon 2020 (Naga, Philippines). All three books are in both English and Japanese and were published with the support of the Japan Foundation Asia Center. Electronic copies are available at the link below.
Download Film Criticism Collective 1 (PDF, 3.4MB) | Film Criticism Collective 2 (PDF, 3.8MB)
Film Criticism Collective 3 (PDF, 2.6MB)