Featuring the theme of “View People View Cities,” this special program at Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2023 presents eight titles selected from an open call for films made in or by filmmakers from the 20 member cities (excluding Yamagata) of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Film. A collaborative project between Yamagata City and Bradford, England, the … Read More

◆ OUTLINE The Yamagata Creative Cities International Conference was held in the past by inviting focal points of domestic or overseas Creative Cities and various speakers from the film-industry, holding symposiums themed on film and creative cities, reflecting on the creativity and possibilities found in film culture and sustainable urban development. In this year’s conference, an online symposium under the … Read More

Yamagata, Japan: The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival partners with streaming service DAFilms, the VOD platform of the festival association Doc Alliance, for an online program available free for one week and on SVOD and TVOD for a further two weeks. The selection by YIDFF programmers highlights key works from the festival’s more than three decades in existence. This exclusive … Read More

The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF) was launched in 1989 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the city and has since been held biennially in October, the most delightful season in Yamagata. It is one of the few film festivals in Asia devoted exclusively to the documentary form. Its scope, however, reaches beyond simply screening recent ground-breaking works in … Read More

The 31st Creative Café presents the online film premiere of “Yamagata Kokeshi – Artisans of Tradition and Innovation,” a short documentary film produced through our local creative project “Yamagata Renaissance Project.” The project produces a series of films that introduce the appeal of Yamagata’s traditional culture and supports local film talents. Kokeshi are handmade wooden dolls distinguished by a single … Read More

Highlighting the “mystique” and “creativity” of the Yamagata City of Film, we have released a new promotional video to attract people to Yamagata – a UNESCO Creative City. Its drone cinematography shows Yamagata’s exquisite scenery, such as the Zao Union in severe winter and the cherry blossoms in full bloom at Mamigasaki River. Please enjoy the Yamagata City of Film … Read More

The Yamagata Creative Cities International Conference was held in the past by inviting focal points of domestic or overseas Creative Cities and various speakers from the film industry, holding symposiums themed on film and creative cities and reflecting on the creativity and possibilities found in film culture and sustainable urban development. For this year’s edition of the conference, people working … Read More

The film “Love Talk (越年 Lovers)” (2019) is a collaborative film project of Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia. A talented Taiwanese female director, Ms. KUO Chen-Ti (郭珍弟), was inspired by the short stories by OKAMOTO Kanoko, wrote and directed this film. This movie is a love story of three men and women in the New Year in  Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia. … Read More

“Yamagata Tea Ceremony – Once in a Lifetime Encounters (一期一会〜山形のお茶文化〜)” (2020 / 24 mins / Dir: SATO Koichi (佐藤広一)) is a short documentary filmed through our local creative project “Yamagata Renaissance Project.” The project produces a series of films that will introduce the appeal of Yamagata’s traditional culture through new and contemporary eyes and offer young local film talent a chance … Read More

Yamagata City will renovate the former Yamagata Municipal Daiichi Elementary School “Yamagata Manabikan” to create a hub for creativity, and the project named “Q1 project” is in progress. Yamagata Manabikan is the former Yamagata Municipal Daiichi Elementary School built in 1927 as the first school constructed with reinforced concrete. It has been designated as a registered tangible cultural property in … Read More