Yamagata Documentary Film Festival 2027: World Documentary Prize ¥1.5m, Two Separate Deadlines
Call, formats and eligibility
Japan's twentieth Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival invites documentary-makers for its October 7–14, 2027 screenings. Its International Competition selects approximately fifteen documentaries from around the world. International works must run at least 40 minutes, have been completed after April 1, 2025, and generally have had no public theatrical or television release in Japan before the festival; Japanese films are exempt from that prior-release restriction. The parallel New Asian Currents strand is for Asian-related documentaries or work by filmmakers with Asian roots and has no limit on duration, format or year.
Application process
The submission deadline depends on the film's completion date, NOT its duration or the submitter's convenience: works completed by October 31, 2026 must enter by December 15, 2026; those completed from November 1, 2026 onwards enter by April 15, 2027. Complete the online form, then pay the non-refundable ¥1,000 fee before the relevant deadline. Include an online screening link (Vimeo or YouTube are recommended); alternatively send two region-zero DVD-Video discs, not Blu-ray. Once entered, replacing the film with a newly edited version is not permitted.
Fees, awards and distribution rights
The International Competition's top Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize pays ¥1.5 million, with a ¥1 million Mayor's Prize and three ¥300,000 Excellence Prizes. New Asian Currents gives ¥800,000 for the Ogawa Shinsuke Prize plus two ¥300,000 Excellence Prizes. One filmmaker per selected film may be invited with expenses covered under the organiser's stated conditions. Entrants must clear third-party music, archive footage and all other copyrights. If selected, promotion may use up to three minutes of film, and a subtitled festival copy is preserved in the Yamagata Documentary Film Library under specified restrictions.
This is an independently edited translation of an external call. Before applying or paying, verify the official eligibility, current entry dates, fees, technical rules, usage licences and screening terms.
Official source / 主催者公式情報: https://www.yidff.jp/2027/entry/27entry1-e.html