The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held biennially in Yamagata, Japan ().
It was first held in October 1989, which makes it one of the longest-running documentary film festivals in the world and the most distinguished such festival in Asia. Its emphasis is on showcasing the best achievements in documentary filmmaking, as well as promoting and popularizing the genre and documentary filmmaking in the region.
The festival was most recently held in October 2023. 1,633 films from 109 countries were submitted, with 238 films screened as part of the international and regional competitions. The festival attracted an audience of around 23,000 people. Since 2001, the competition has included films shot in DV. In 1991, a Young Asian Talents section was established.
Awards A number of prizes are awarded at the festival, including: For films in the international competition: Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize (The Grand Prize) Mayor's Prize (Prize of Excellence) Special Jury Prize Runner-up Prize For films in the regional competition: Shinsuke Ogawa Award, for new up-and-coming Asian filmmakers Overall: Citizens' Prize, voted for by the festival audiences
Award winners 1989 YIDFF
The first festival edition was held 10–15 October 1989. Along with the competition screenings, the festival hosted a retrospective of films by Robert and Frances Flaherty and a comprehensive screening of Japanese documentaries from the first half of the 20th century. In total, 80 films were seen by an audience of around 12,000.
AwardFilmDirector Robert Kramer Johan van der Keuken Jorge Ulla, & Néstor Almendros Pierre Sauvage Stefan Jarl Christine Lloyd-Fitt, & Yoshi Tezuka Pierre Sauvage
1991 YIDFF
The second festival edition was held 7–13 October 1991. Along with the competition screenings, the festival hosted a program devoted solely to Asian films, as well as a selection of Japanese films from the post-WWII period. In total, 153 films were shown, which attracted an audience of around 14,000.
AwardFilmDirector Barbara Kopple , & Michel Khleifi Chalam Bennurkar Chalam Bennurkar
1993 YIDFF
The third festival edition was held 5–11 October 1993. Along with the competition screenings, the festival hosted a selection of Asian films, as well as a selection of films focusing on native peoples from North and South America, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. The Shinsuke Ogawa Award for most promising Asian film director in the New Asian Currents program was introduced. In total, 139 films were shown. As an illustrative example, one of the official selections, Le pays des sourds (In the Land of the Deaf) focused primarily on Deaf communities in France; but the documentary also featured a brief segment identifying commonalities in French Sign Language and Japanese Sign Language. The event attracted an audience of around 20,000 people.
AwardFilmDirector Robin Anderson Bob Connolly Frederick Wiseman Makoto Satō Ulrich Seidl Aleksandr Sokurov Wu Wenguang Anand Patwardhan
1995 YIDFF
The fourth festival edition was held 3–9 October 1995. Along with the competition screenings, the festival hosted a retrospective of films from the early days of cinema in honor of the Lumière brothers' cinematograph centennial. In total, 278 films were shown, which attracted an audience of around 21,000 people.
AwardFilmDirector Tsipi Reibenbach Heddy Honigmann & Peter Mettler Anand Patwardhan Byun Young-Joo Barbara Junge, & Winfried Junge Duan Jinchuan, & Zhang Yuan Oleksandr Rodnyansky Naomi Kawase Oleksandr Rodnyansky Naomi Kawase
1997 YIDFF
The fifth festival edition was held 6–13 October 1997. In all competitions and programs 187 films were shown, and attendance was around 23,000.
AwardFilmDirector Ron Havilio Raymond Depardon Dušan Hanák Anne Claire Poirier Frederick Wiseman Li Hong Nick Deocampo Hsu Hsiao-ming Jon Jost Li Hong Yu Lik-wai
1999 YIDFF
The sixth festival edition was held 19–25 October 1999. Apart from the usual international and regional competition programs, a retrospective of films by Joris Ivens was shown. In total 188 films were shown, and attendance was around 20,000.
AwardFilmDirector Germán Kral Frederick Wiseman Avi Mograbi Heddy Honigmann Wu Yao-tung Sigve Endresen Kim Longinotto Ziba Mir-Hosseini Yutaka Tsuchiya Katsuyuki Hirano Tetsuaki Matsue Yang Li-chou
2001 YIDFF
The seventh festival edition was held 3–9 October 2001. Apart from the usual international and regional competition programs, retrospectives of films by Robert Kramer and Fumio Kamei were shown. In total 183 films were shown, and attendance was around 18,000.
AwardFilmDirector Rithy Panh Pedro Costa Apichatpong Weerasethakul Jon Jost Tatsuya Mori Melissa Kyu-Jung Lee Tatsuya Mori Pedro Costa Neeraj Bhasin Yasmine Kabir Kye Un-kyoung Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2003 YIDFF
The eighth festival edition was held 10–16 October 2003. In total 177 films were shown, and attendance was around 19,000.
AwardFilmDirector Wang Bing Steve James Wu Yii-feng Rithy Panh Anat Zuria Qing Sha Anat Zuria Li Lin Tanon Sattarujawong
2005 YIDFF
The ninth festival edition was held 7–13 October 2005. Apart from the usual regional and international competition programs, the festival screened a selection of films about Zainichi Koreans, as well as screenings of personal documentaries in collaboration with Visions du réel. In total 145 films were shown, and attendance was around 20,000.
AwardFilmDirector Yifan Li Yu Yan Michel Khleifi Eyal Sivan Albert Elings, Eugenie Jansen Hubert Sauper Haruyo Kato Wayne Coles-Janess Haruyo Kato Hubert Sauper
2007 YIDFF
The tenth festival edition was held 4–11 October 2007. Apart from the usual regional and international competition programs, the festival also screened a program devoted to German documentaries focused on German history. In total 238 films were shown, and attendance was around 23,000.
AwardFilmDirector Wang Bing Pierre-Marie Goulet Ron Havilio Nicolás Prividera Naomi Kawase Feng Yan , & Jan Hinrik Drevs Masaru Nomoto Feng Yan
2009 YIDFF October 8–15, 2009 +AwardFilmDirectorPrizes for the International CompetitionRobert and Frances Flaherty Prize(The Grand Prize)Encirclement—Neo-Liberalism Ensnares DemocracyRichard Brouillette (Canada)Mayor's PrizeOblivionHeddy Honigmann (Netherlands/Germany)Special Jury PrizeJapan: A Story of Love and HateSean McAllister (UK/Japan)New Asian Currents AwardsShinsuke Ogawa AwardAmerican AlleyKim Dong-ryung (Korea)Citizens' PrizeJapan: A Story of Love and HateSean McAllister (UK/Japan)Yuri—About Loving Azuma Mieko (Germany)Community Cinema AwardBilalSourav Sarangi (India)Directors' Guild of Japan AwardDoctor Ma’s Country ClinicCong Feng (China)
2011 YIDFF October 6–13, 2011 +AwardFilmDirectorPrizes for the International CompetitionRobert and Frances Flaherty Prize(The Grand Prize)The Collaborator and His FamilyRuthie Shatz, Adi Barash (USA/Israel/France)Mayor's PrizeNostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz)Patricio Guzmán (France/Germany/Chile)Awards of ExcellenceApudaHe Yuan (China) The Woman with the 5 Elephants (Die Frau mit den 5 Elefanten)Vadim Jendreyko (Switzerland/Germany)Special Jury PrizeDistinguished Flying CrossTravis Wilkerson (USA)New Asian Currents AwardsShinsuke Ogawa AwardYuguo and His MotherGu Tao (China)Citizens' PrizeThe Woman with the 5 Elephants (Die Frau mit den 5 Elefanten)Vadim Jendreyko (Switzerland/Germany)Iranian CookbookMohammad Shirvani (Iran)Community Cinema AwardIranian CookbookMohammad Shirvani (Iran)Directors' Guild of Japan AwardPrison and Paradise (Indonesia)
2013 YIDFF October 10–17, 2013 +AwardFilmDirectorPrizes for the International CompetitionRobert and Frances Flaherty Prize(The Grand Prize)A World Not OursMahdi Fleifel (Denmark)Mayor's PrizeThe Act of KillingJoshua Oppenheimer (Denmark)Awards of Excellence (Germany)The Other Day (El otro día)Ignacio Agüero (Chile)Special Jury PrizeTour of DutyKim Dong-ryung, Park Kyoung-tae (Korea)New Asian Currents AwardsShinsuke Ogawa AwardMrs. Bua’s Carpet Dương Mộng Thu (Vietnam)Awards of ExcellenceRaging Land 3: Three ValleysChan Yin Kai, Choi Yuen Villagers (Hong Kong)MohtaramaMalek Shafi’i, Diana Saqeb (Afghanistan)Special MentionsWar Is a Tender ThingAdjani Arumpac (Philippines)Citizens' PrizeThe Punk Syndrome (Kovasikajuttu), (Finland)The Targeted VillageMikami Chie (Japan)Community Cinema AwardWe Want (U) to KnowElla Pugliese, Nou Va, The people of Thnol Lok (Germany/Cambodia)Directors' Guild of Japan AwardThe Targeted VillageMikami Chie (Japan)
2015 YIDFF October 8–15, 2015 +AwardFilmDirectorPrizes for the International CompetitionRobert and Frances Flaherty Prize(The Grand Prize)Horse Money (Cavalo dinheiro) Pedro Costa (Portugal)Mayor's PrizeThe Pearl Button (El botón de nácar)Patricio Guzmán (Chile)Awards of ExcellenceHomeland: Iraq Year ZeroAbbas Fahdel (Iraq)Silvered Water, Syria Self-PortraitOssama Mohammed, Wiam Simav Bedirxan (Syria)Special Jury PrizeUs Women/Them Women (Nosotras/ellas)Julia Pesce (Argentina)New Asian Currents AwardsShinsuke Ogawa AwardStanding Men (Des hommes debout)Maya Abdul-Malak (Lebanon)Awards of ExcellenceSnakeskinDaniel Hui (Singapore)Each StoryOkuma Katsuya (Japan)Citizens' PrizeHomeland: Iraq Year ZeroAbbas Fahdel (Iraq)Directors' Guild of Japan AwardMy No-Mercy HomeAori (Korea)
2017 YIDFF October 5–12, 2017 +AwardFilmDirectorPrizes for the International CompetitionRobert and Frances Flaherty Prize(The Grand Prize)Communion (Komunia) (Poland)Mayor's PrizeA Memory in KhakiAlfoz Tanjour (Syria)Awards of ExcellenceLone ExistenceSha Qing (China)I Am Not Your NegroRaoul Peck (USA)Special Jury PrizeIn the Intense Now (No intenso agora)João Moreira Salles (Brazil)New Asian Currents AwardsShinsuke Ogawa AwardYellowingChan Tze-Woon (Hong Kong)Awards of ExcellenceThe Slice RoomSong Yun-hyeok (Korea)Up Down & SidewaysAnushka Meenakshi, Iswar Srikumar (India)Special MentionsBamseom Pirates, Seoul InfernoJung Yoon-suk (Korea)City of Jade (Fei cui zhi cheng)Midi Z (Taiwan)Citizens' PrizeSennan Asbestos DisasterHara Kazuo (Japan)Directors' Guild of Japan AwardUp Down & SidewaysAnushka Meenakshi, Iswar Srikumar (India)
2019 YIDFF October 10-17, 2019 +AwardFilmDirectorPrizes for the International CompetitionRobert and Frances Flaherty Prize(The Grand Prize)Dead SoulsWang Bing (China)Mayor's PrizeThe Crosses (Las cruces)Teresa Arredondo, Carlos Vásquez Méndez (Chile)Awards of ExcellenceMidnight TravelerHassan Fazili (USA)Your Turn (Espero tua (re)volta)Eliza Capai (Brazil)Special Jury PrizeMonrovia, IndianaFrederick Wiseman (USA)New Asian Currents AwardsShinsuke Ogawa AwardErased,___Ascent of the InvisibleGhassan Halwani (Lebanon)Awards of ExcellenceXalkoSami Mermer, Hind Benchekroun (Canada)ExodusBahman Kiarostami (Iran)Citizens' PrizeDead SoulsWang Bing (China)Directors' Guild of Japan AwardGracefullyArash Eshaghi (Iran)
References
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