View People View Cities
—The World of UNESCO Creative Cities 2005
Yamagata Creative City Promotion Council
In October 2017, Yamagata City became the first city in Japan to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Film. YIDFF 2025 is pleased to present seven films selected from open call to the 25 cities of the Network, excluding Yamagata, “about cities, its residents, and their daily lives,” following the first edition of this special program in YIDFF 2023. In addition, there will be screenings of four new works from the Yamagata Renaissance Project, featuring traditional Yamagata culture. (Program coordinator: Nakamura Takayuki)
As Day Goes By- 2024 / 14 min
Director: Ngima Gelu Sherpa
The camera simply follows two women cutting grass on a pasture—nothing more. And yet, it is utterly captivating. What makes it so striking is the filmmaker’s perspective, their way of capturing the “everyday.” In documentary film, the “everyday” doesn’t emerge through montage (or manipulation), but rather through the filmmaker’s philosophy—what they choose to see and how they choose to see it through the lens.
The Demands of Ordinary Devotion- 2021 / 12 min
Director: Eva Giolo
What is an image—what is cinema? Through richly textured combinations of film-shot visuals and sound, this central question is brought to life. Guided by the words of Laozi, the film explores cinema as an art of “time,” while weaving together metaphors of “cycles,” “chains,” and “matter”—elements that humanity can never escape. The way these metaphors interconnect and flow like a string of prayer beads offers a compelling and thought-provoking experience not to be missed.
The House Within- 2024 / 71 min
Director: Joshua Prendeville
Writer Fiona Kidman recounts her life story in a solo narration. Deliberately excluding family, friends, acquaintances, or any other figures, the film draws solely on Fiona’s own perspective and memories to evoke vivid imagery. It carefully captures the light and shadow of her life, the fluctuations of her emotions, and the subtle nuances of her experiences. In scenes where she reads passages from her own work, her language—at once delicate and bold—is striking enough to take your breath away.
Siesta- 2009 / 73 min
Director: Sofia Mora
Mourners busily gather at the home of a brother and sister who have just lost their father. Unable to fully accept the reality of their loss, the two slip away from the house and head into town . . . Yet the streets of Vicente López are utterly silent, devoid of people—like a ghost town. The scenery reflects the siblings’ emotional state, as if mirroring their inner world, while time passes by, fleeting and fragile. This is the only fictional work in this program.
Stopover- 2023 / 21 min
Director: Mariusz Biernacki
The “soup kitchen bus” that runs through Łódź operates day and night to provide warm meals to the homeless. The meals are served—and the work is done—by homeless individuals living in a shelter. While the film could be described as “a documentary that could be mistaken for a drama,” its ending is not dramatic like fiction; instead, it is brutally realistic and documentary in nature.
Such a Beautiful Town- 2019 / 8 min
Director: Marta Koch
Woman wakes up to find that her boyfriend, who had been sleeping beside her, is outside on the street—kissing someone else, as seen through the window. Enraged, she rushes out of the room and runs to the spot, only to find no one there . . . As she wanders the city, driven by her emotions, she finds herself in a world that feels entirely different. The grotesque and sensational face of the city, as perceived through the woman’s subjective lens, is vividly depicted through animation.
To Insist- 2023 / 11 min
Director: Luna Mato Chague
A faded black-and-white family photograph shows a woman named Azucena Villaflor, whose body was found washed up on the beach in December 1977. Why did she have to die? This film attempts to unravel the hidden history of Argentina, starting from a single remaining family photo. Various images of the sea, accompanied by the sound of waves ebbing and flowing, evoke fragmented memories from the past.
Yamagata Renaissance Project
Reunion 35 Years of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival- 2024 / 24 min
Director: Nagaoka Hiroaki
There are films that can only be seen in Yamagata. The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2023 was held normally for the first time in four years after the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again, film fans from around the world will gather in “Yamagata, the Film Capital of Japan.” In 2021, when the film festival was held online, a long-established pickle store that had been the venue for the festival’s symbolic night time social venue, “Komian Club,” went out of business, and the man who had been the backbone of the film festival passed away suddenly . . . The four years since the last regular festival was held have been a time of many challenges for the film festival. The 2023 film festival will overcome these major challenges and make a new start. Through interviews, we will look into the significance and appeal of the festival, as well as the thoughts and determination of the people involved.
Memories That Sheep Carry Genghis Khan in Zao Onsen- 2024 / 13 min
Director: Fuse Kaho
Zao Onsen in Yamagata City is said to be one of the birthplaces of Genghis Khan. Why was lamb meat eaten in this place where sheep farming was once popular? The taste of “Zao Onsen Genghis Khan” has been handed down from generation to generation, and in 2022, it was recognized as a “100-year food” by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. While tracing its history, we explore the thoughts and feelings of the people who have lived together with Genghis Khan.
Sunny Spot Story of a Beloved Local Supermarket- 2025 / 11 min
Director: Nagaoka Hiroaki
“Endo”—small supermarket is located in Naga-machi, Yamagata city. “Gesoten,” (Deep Fried Squid Legs) Yamagata’s soul food, has become a hot topic, attracting customers not only from the local area but also from outside the prefecture and even from overseas. “Gesoten” is not the only reason why so many people love there. Local elderly women have well-side meetings, local summer festivals are held, and a kids’ cafeteria is open. It has truly become a “sunny spot” in the community. What do you see in this scene where people from all walks of life gather at a small supermarket in town? This documentary looks at the “local treasure” nurtured by the soul food “Gesoten.”
The Writers of Dewa- 2025 / 22 min
Director: Sato Koichi
Yamagata city, which has turned out many famous writers. As one of the reasons attracted attention for this is the “Yamagata Novelist and Writer’s Course” held by a private initiative. Since started in 1997, the course is still full of enthusiasm with people who want to experience the joy of “writing,” as well as those who aspire to make their debut as writers. Why have such course taken root in Yamagata city and why do they continue to produce bearers of literature? This documentary explores this question through interviews with the people involved in the course, while also discussing Yamagata city’s literature-related activities.