Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (山形国際ドキュメンタリー映画祭)

Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival

山形国際ドキュメンタリー映画祭

Also known as: YIDFF
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The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF) is a biennial documentary festival held in odd-numbered years in Yamagata, among the mountains of northern Japan. Its first edition took place in October 1989 to mark the centenary of Yamagata City, and the organisers describe it as Asia’s first international documentary film festival. Documentary filmmaker Ogawa Shinsuke helped prepare the first edition and called on volunteers to organise it. Run by an executive committee with the city until 2006, YIDFF is now organised by an independent non-profit, a certified NPO since 2013.

Two competitions form the core: the International Competition, about 15 documentaries from an open call, and New Asian Currents, for Asian documentaries of any format or length. Their top awards, the Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize and the Ogawa Shinsuke Prize, appear on the Academy’s qualifying festival list for Documentary Feature. Post-screening discussions are a festival tradition, and the View People View Cities programme shows films from the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, which Yamagata joined in 2017 as a City of Film. The 20th edition runs from 7–14 October 2027.

Country

Japan

Focus

Documentary

Categories

Documentary

Dates

7 October 2027 — 14 October 2027

Awards and prizes

International Competition (about 15 documentaries selected from an open call; prizes awarded by the jury to the directors): The Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize (Grand Prize) - 1,500,000 yen The Mayor's Prize - 1,000,000 yen Three Awards of Excellence - 300,000 yen each New Asian Currents (Asian documentaries without restrictions on format or length; prizes awarded by the jury to the directors): Ogawa Shinsuke Prize - 800,000 yen Two Awards of Excellence - 300,000 yen each Citizens' Prize - decided by audience votes collected through questionnaires during the festival. The trophies, designed by sculptor Azuma Kenjiro, are modelled on ripe rice stalks, a symbol of Yamagata.

Festival rules

YIDFF 2027 accepts entries for the International Competition and New Asian Currents; each entry chooses one programme. The call for entries opened on 1 September 2026. First deadline: 15 December 2026, for works completed by 31 October 2026. Second deadline: 15 April 2027, for works completed after 1 November 2026. The entry fee is 1,000 yen, paid online after submitting the online entry form; it is not refundable. The entry form must include an online screener link (Vimeo or YouTube recommended); alternatively two DVD copies (region 0, DVD-Video) may be posted to the Yamagata office. Blu-ray discs are not accepted. International Competition: documentaries of 40 minutes or longer, completed after 1 April 2025, on film or in a video or digital format. The work must not have been released publicly in Japan (cinema or TV) before the festival; Japanese films are exempt. About 15 works are selected. New Asian Currents: documentaries related to Asian regions or made by filmmakers with Asian roots, with no restrictions on format, length or production year. For selected films, the festival produces English or Japanese subtitles as needed and invites one director per film with expenses covered. Subtitled screening copies are kept at the YAMAGATA Documentary Film Library for research and educational use. Only the Japanese version of the regulations is legally binding.

Contacts

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