Ishinomaki is a town in northeastern Japan that was devastated by the March 11, 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami. Over 3,000 souls were lost on this day. Even after 6 years, there is still a lot of work to be done, many people still live in temporary housing, more than 10,000 people have left the town never to return. We hope this project will renew interest in Ishinomaki and the Tohoku region in general. Thank you for your support.
What are you doing this summer?
Come to Ishinomaki and make a documentary film!
Learn the tools of the trade from professional filmmakers.
Starts July 1st for 3 weekends, followed by a one week intensive course the last week of July. Your film will be featured in the Ishinomaki International Film Festival.
We will be holding special evening seminars that can be attended by everyone. Meet our instructors here.
The First Annual Ishinomaki International Film Festival (IIFF) will be held on July 29th, 2017 at the Plena Hall in Ishinomaki. It will feature Music Videos and Documentary Shorts produced by artists in Ishinomaki, Japan and around the world. Student films made at the Documentary Filmmaking Course in July will also be screened and guests will choose their favorite film.
There will be awards for best film, films made in Tohoku, student films, music videos made on smart phones and the grand prize, the Ishinomaki award (the best film selected by the people of
Ishinomaki). Japanese subtitling provided for winning films.