Artist in Residence – Koji Yamamura

Old Crocodile

Koji Yamamura was born in Japan on June 4th 1964. He made his first animated film at the age of 13. Between 1983 and 1987 he studied painting at the Tokyo Zokei University. As a student he worked in art assistance and special effects modelling for films. During this period he was influenced by Canadian, Russian and European short animated films, especially by authors such as Ishu Patel, Yuri Norstein and Priit Pärn. 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 and his wife founded Yamamura Animation, Inc. 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 6 Grand Prix, including Annecy 03, Zagreb 04 and Hiroshima 04. Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor (2007) received the 2007 Grand Prix at Ottawa. He is the first grand prix winner of all major international animation film festivals.
He has participated as a jury member, has lectured and held workshops at numerous international film festivals for the popularization and advancement of the art of animation. He is also an illustrator and has published several picture books. In Japan, a large exhibition of his work, "Yamamura Animation Museum", was held at the Aichi Expo 05, while other exhibitions were held at Japanese galleries and public museums. His films have been shown in over 30 countries and awarded various notable prizes. Retrospective screenings of his work have been shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival, the National Film Theatre in UK and overall in more than 20 countries.
He is currently a regular member of the board of directors of the Japan Animation Association and a member of the board of directors of the Japanese branch of the International Animated Film Association, and has been a visiting professor at the Tokyo Zokei University since 2004.