The Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is the largest and oldest international film festival for documentary in Asia, and runs every other year in the northern Japanese city of Yamagata. In the off-years, we bring the previous year’s screening program to Tokyo! Close to 100 films will be screened Aug. 18 – Sept. 14 this summer at two Tokyo art house cinemas: Auditorium Shibuya and Pole Pole Higashi-nakano. Most films will be screened with English subtitles!

Directors of the grand prize winner from YIDFF 2011 The Collaborator and His Family will be coming to Japan from Israel to meet audiences. Titles from International Competition, New Asian Currents, and special programs (like our Islands series focusing on Cuba this time) will travel to Tokyo for the first time.

Plus, this year we’re opening up a part of our program to popular vote!From our Documentary Film Library, which archives films from the festival’s 23-year history, you get to vote which film you’d like to see in Tokyo.In Japanese, you can vote through the neoneo website: the only Japanese magazine dedicated to documentary. Go to http://webneo.org/ and click on the banner on the top right corner.

In English, please write to mail@tokyo.yidff.jp with the following items:Film title you vote for:(Choose from the YIDFF International Competition from 1989 – 2009. Some films are not available due to agreement with rights owners.)Director:Why you vote for it:Your age / gender:

The top voted films and program will be announced in early June!For inquiries, contact YIDFF Tokyo Office at mail@tokyo.yidff.jp .

Official website www.cinematrix.jp/dds2012Presented by: CinematrixCo-presented by: Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival / Auditorium Shibuya / Pole Pole Higashi-nakanoSpecial support from: Embassy of Israel, TokyoSupported by: Japan Arts Council