Kyoto International Student Film and Video Festival (京都国際学生映画祭)
The Kyoto International Student Film and Video Festival is a film and video festival held in Kyoto every fall. Students run everything from planning to public relations. The office is located on the 6th floor of the Campus Plaza Kyoto.
History
In 1997, a screening of student films was held by students belonging to film clubs.
In 1999, the second screening was held.
In 2001, applications for student films from abroad were first accepted.
The event was given the name the 'Kyoto International Student Film and Video Festival.'
In 2002, it became one of the events sponsored by the Consortium of Universities in Kyoto.
In 2003, the Agency for Cultural Affairs began supporting the festival.
In 2004, more than 200 applications were received from overseas.
In 2005, the number of applications for the competition exceeded 400.
In 2007, the tenth festival was held (November 23 to 30). The venues were the ART COMPLEX 1928 and the Kyoto Cinema.
In 2008, the eleventh festival was held (November 22 to 28). The venues were Kyoto Cinema and Hardy Hall at the Kambaikan of Doshisha University.
The project
The festival centers on a competition in which movies created by students from all over the world are screened. From the works for which applications are made, student staff select and determine which movies will be screened. Among them, people in the film industry (normally, three people each year), who are empaneled as the final jury, decide one grand prize winner and two runners-up. The awards are $1,000 for the grand prize and $500 for each runner-up (as of the eleventh festival).
The members of the final jury, consisting of directors and many other people in the film industry, are selected anew each year.
Those at the third festival were Kiyoshi KUROSAWA, Shinji AOYAMA and Nobuhiro SUWA.
Those at the tenth festival were Aya WATANABE, Naoko OGIGAMI and so on.
The jury at the eleventh festival included Yuji HARUOKA and others.
Additionally, the festival holds the World Program featuring student films from around the globe, screenings of works made by professional film directors when they were students, etc.
Guests
Just as Takeshi KITANO was invited as a guest at the first festival and a symposium was organized, the final jury, competition winners and other people from the film industry are invited.
Hirokazu KOREEDA was the guest at the second festival.
At the eleventh festival, Koji YAMAMURA and Nobuhiro YAMASHITA were invited and a talk show was held.
Organization
All the organizers are students (undergraduate and graduate students). Most of the volunteer participants are undergraduate students in Kyoto. An applicant for a staff position must contact the committee and attend meetings.
The committee, comprised of staff members, is replaced nearly every year.
Collaborative projects
The Kyoto International Student Film and Video Festival is involved in many collaborative projects.
At the Kyoto Intercollegiate Festa, which is also sponsored by the Consortium of Universities in Kyoto, new films are screened at Kyoto Kaikan Hall.
In 2007, "The Invitation from Cinema Orion" was screened.
In 2008, "School Days With a Pig" was screened, and Tetsu MAEDA was invited (October 12).
Additionally, the Kyoto International Student Film and Video Festival is held in collaboration with the Shinkyogoku Film Festival.
In 2008, experimental films were featured (November 8 and 9). Takashi MAKINO and Takashi ITO were invited and appeared on a talk show after their works were screened. The venue was Le Club Jazz, on Sanjo-dori Street.