6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Yamagata ‘dojo' a winter retreat that lets Asian filmmakers shine
A scene from the 'rangeiko' workshop held as part of the Yamagata Documentary Dojo filmmaking residency program in 2022, with some participants remotely joining the session due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Provided by the Yamagata Documentary Dojo)
While Yamagata Prefecture is famed for its snow-deep spa resorts, Asian filmmakers head to the mountains there to hone their documentary skills at a 'dojo.'
The Yamagata Documentary Dojo is an artist-in-residence program set up in 2018 to create an environment that encourages directors to produce material worthy of international attention.
The area is also known for its biennial international documentary film festival.
Five or so directors are invited to stay in the Hijiori or Zao onsen resorts for at least several days or up to a month in or around each winter.
While they are encouraged to immerse themselves in editing projects, there are also opportunities for them to improve their craft.
For instance, during a 'rangeiko' free-style sparring presentation and discussion session, a director pitches a project idea and faces a barrage of questions over two hours from the others present.
The idea is to help the filmmakers realize their vision more clearly.
Another appeal of the program is that experienced cineasts serve as instructors for one-on-one tutoring sessions.
They include Kazuhiro Soda, a regular attendee at the Berlin International Film Festival known for 'Mental,' and other documentary filmmakers who are critically acclaimed both at home and overseas.
About 20 documentaries covering a wide range of styles and subjects have come out of the Dojo.
They include 'Cenote' by Kaori Oda, the winner of the first Oshima Prize named after director Nagisa Oshima; 'What Should We Have Done?' a long-running film in which director Tomoaki Fujino chronicles the struggles of his older sister, who suffers from schizophrenia; and 'After the Snowmelt' by Lo Yi-shan, which was nominated for a Golden Horse Award, Taiwan's most prestigious film honor.
Some offerings are edgy and provocative, while others delve into social issues.
YAMAGATA AS BRAND
The Dojo is now widely known outside Japan and attracts around 80 projects from Asia each year for consideration.
It is also on the radar of film buffs in Tokyo. For example, special screenings of documentaries produced by directors who stayed at the Dojo were held in the capital in June.
A rangeiko session was also shown to the public.
Asako Fujioka, who founded the Dojo program, said one of the reasons Yamagata was chosen over Tokyo was 'to create a brand among professional documentary filmmakers in Asia.'
The late Shinsuke Ogawa, a director who created many masterpieces, set up his production base in the prefecture.
He played an active role in establishing the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, which has been held once every two years for more than 30 years.
Fujioka has been involved with the festival since 1993 when the third installment was held, by managing the program for the Asia section.
She also worked at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea for 10 years, selecting documentary projects eligible for subsidies.
Fujioka eventually founded the Dojo program to provide a venue for filmmakers to inspire each other to gain global recognition, much in the same vein as the French movie magazine Cahiers du Cinema, where Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard began their film careers.
'Some instructors help participants to create their works even after the Dojo is over,' Fujioka continued. 'I'm happy if the circle of exchange is expanded through the Dojo.'
