YAMAMURA Koji

Born in Japan in 1964. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short, "Mt. Head" (2002) had 6 Grand Prizes and selected 100 Films for a Century of Animation. He has won Grand Prize twice, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Ottawa and Hiroshima, for "Mt. Head", "Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor" (2007), and "Dozens of Norths" (2021), and has received 152 awards, including 21 Grand Prix for his directorial work, including other awards such as the Grand Prix in Zagreb and Stuttgart. "Extremely Short" (2024) is officially selected Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes.
He is also an active picture book author with 100 titles published, including "Viva Vegetables !" that is published 490,500 copies and "Parade".
He was awarded the Kawakita Prize and the Art Encouragement Prize in Japan and received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2019.
A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, He is visiting professor of Tokyo Zokei University, China Academy of Art, Aichi University of the Arts and a professor of Tokyo University of the Arts since 2008.

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More detailed profile：
Yamamura Koji was born in Japan on June 4, 1964. He made first animated film at 13 years old. Between 1983 and 1987, he studied painting at Tokyo Zokei University. While a student, he has worked in art assistance and special effects modeling for Majors movies. Same time he was influenced by short animated films in Canada, Russia, and Europe. He ghad a Bachelor of Design and Fine Arts Degree.
After graduation, he started his career as an animation background artist at Mukuo Studio. In 1989, he left the studio to work freelance. In 1993, he founded Yamamura Animation, Inc. with his wife Sanae. In 2002, He signed a contract with Acme Filmworks as an animation director. Yamamura has created many short animation films using a variety of techniques. "Mt. Head" (2002) was nominated for an Oscar® in 2003, and awarded the 6 Grand Prix include Annecy 03, Zagreb 04 and Hiroshima 04. Also "Mt. Head" was selected as one of the 100 FILMS FOR A CENTURY OF ANIMATION and the 50 Best Animated Films for 50 Years of ASIFA. "Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor" (2007) was awarded the Grand Prix at Ottawa in 07 and Internationales TrickFilm Festival STUTTGART. He is only one grand prix winner in 5 major international animation festivals in the world. "Muybridge's Strings" (2011) is first co-production animation with National Film board of Canada as Asian filmmaker and "Dozens of Norths" (2021) is co-production with Miyu Productions in France, it won the Grand Prize for Feature Animation at the 46h Ottawa International Animation Festival Contrechamp Crystal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. In 2023, VR "My Inner Ear Quartet" (Kodansha VR Lab) was completed and won the Grand Prize in the VR category at the Ottawa International Animation Film Festival. "Extremely Short" (2024) is officialy selected Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes.
More than 350 lectures and master classes at film festivals around the world, including Harvard University and the University of Tokyo; 195 retrospective programs in 32 countries, including the National Film Theater UK, Gothenburg International Film Festival, Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, and La Rochelle International Film Festival. And his films has been screened over 1,000 times at theaters, universities, and studios in Japan and abroad. He has participated in more than 115 exhibitions of his original works at the Aichi Expo 05, the Cinémathèque Québecoise, the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, and more than 80 juries, including the Art Encouragement Prize, the Japan Media Arts Festival, the Hiroshima International Animation Festival, and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
He has been involved in the theatrical release and distribution of five films: "Yamamura Animation Pictorial Book," "'The Old Crocodile' & Koji Yamamura Select Animation," "Muybridge's Strings" and "Koji Yamamura: Dreams Through the Right and Left Eyes,".
He has been selected as the 2 place at 25 top short animated films directors over the last 25 years at 2021 at Animac, the International Animation Showcase of Catalonia.
He won Distinguished Artist Award of 2006 in USA, ALBÍN BRUNOVSKÝ HONORARY MEDAL in Slovakia, Kawakita Prize in Japan, Prize of the Cultural Department of the City of Wiesbaden – Wiesbaden in Germany, Special prize for the contribution of the art of animation in Serbia, Pulcinella Special Award in Italy, Education Award for Fine Arts in Japan and the Prix Klingsor from the Biennial of Animation Bratislava Committee for lifetime achievement. He received the Medal with Purple Ribbon (the Shiju Hosho) in 2019.
In 2013, he opened the animation store and gallery Au Praxinoscope, began exhibiting original animation drawings and supervising and producing films directed by Yano Honami ("A Bite of Bone" won the 28 awards include the Ottawa Short Film Grand Prix ) and Yuki Yoko ("In the Big Yard Inside the Teeny-Weeny Pocket" won 9 awards include TDC Grand Prix 2023).
From 2021, he will be the director of the Media Department of the Hiroshima Festival.
He is also an author of picture books such as "Parade", "Tiny, Giant Tree" (winner of the 65th Shogakukan Children's Publishing Culture Award), "For the Sake of Mr. Whale, We'll Do Whatever It Takes" (22nd Japan Picture Book Award), "Long is Beautiful" (White Ravens 2016), "Notes on Monstropedia" and "Bells are Ring". His "Fruits Friends' Fresh Talk", "Viva Vegetables !"and "Athletes of Sweets" have sold more than 939,000 copies in total. He has published 100 titles picture books and translated 25 into foreign languages.
He has been visiting professor of Tokyo Zokei University since 2004, China Academy of Art since 2021, Aichi University of the Arts since 2022 and a professor of Tokyo University of the Arts since 2008.
He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a sub-chairman of the Japan Animation Association (JAA) and a member of the Japanese branch of the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA).
He is a director for the Hiroshima Festival Media Arts Division and Hiroshima Animation Season Artistic Director from 2021.
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Works holdings:
National Film Archive: "Mt. Head" (2002) 35mm film prints, "The Old Crocodile" (2005) 35mm film prints and all other film works.
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art: "Mt. Head" (2002) original film prints, "Karo and Pyobpt" (1993) three-dimensional materials, "Kipling Jr." (1995) three-dimensional materials.
Annecy Castle Museum (France): "Mt. Head" (2002), original drawings, "EMILE COHL's Alphabet" (2008) original drawing.
Cinémathèque Québecoise (Canada): 'The Ballad of Ryan Larkin The Skinny' (2009), original cover illustration
La Cinémathèque française (France): "Mt. Head" (2002) 35mm film print, "The Old Crocodile" (2005) 35mm film print, etc.
Private Collector (Japan): '"Your Choice!" (1999) Original drawing
Private collector (Netherlands): "Your Choice!" (1999) Original drawing
Private collector (Canada, France): "Mt. Head" (2002) Original drawings
Private collector (Canada): "Mt. Head" (2002) Original drawings