Videoteca

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Dozens of Norths 2021 star_border 2.7
Here, everything is The North. This is an account of the people I met in The North. However, my fragmented memory doesn't capture the essence at all.

Polar Bear Bears Boredom 2021 star_border 7
A polar bear who is very bored with various marine animals in the deep blue sea. It continues an ancient tradition of "Caricatures of Frolicking animals" in scroll painting-style; this time, "Frolicking Sea Animals," in animation form, with a play on Japanese and English language word-plays: "Hokyoku-Guma Suggoku Hima. / Polar bear bears boredom", "Kawauso Kawaisou./Other otter, poor otter," etc.

Notes on Monstropedia 2017
An animated archive of imaginary monsters written by a fictitious mosterologist in Medieval Europe.

Satie's "Parade" 2016 star_border 6.2
A Parade for three managers and four performers. Sketchy drawings in a neatly arranged palette, involving quotes from the French composer Erik Satie, set to the music of Parade performed by the Dutch Willem Breuker Kollektief.

Zodiac One Third 2016 star_border 7
This work was commissioned for the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and made possible by support from the 2016 Champion and Patron Members of Reel Asian. Chinese Zodiac is 60-years cycle by 10 heavenly elements and 12 earthly animals, 20th anniversary is just one third. In this movie appearing and changing into 20 elements from 1997 that was started the festival to 2016.

Five Fire Fish 2013
Created using "Etching on film" from the NFB's McLaren's Workshop Application.

Muybridge's Strings 2011 star_border 6
Koji Yamamura's allegory the immutability of time, love and devotion, and the unbreakable nature of the parent-child bond, into interlacing story.

Franz Kafka's a Country Doctor 2007 star_border 6.9
A hapless country doctor describes with breathless urgency a night-time summons to attend a young patient. Events soon take on a surreal aspect as "unearthly horses" transport him instantaneously to the bedside. The doctor, preoccupied with personal distractions and grievances against those he is employed to care for, fails to find what is revealed to be a vile, fatal wound. He is humiliated by the villagers, who are "always expecting the impossible from the doctor," and doomed to an endless return trip, losing everything.

A Child's Metaphysics 2007 star_border 6.8

Man & Whale 2007 star_border 7
A seaside school. In the corridor stands the principal, beloved of the high-spirited youngsters. Gazing at a picture of a whale drawn as a child, the head teacher is swept away with sentiment into a flashback from the past.

The Old Crocodile 2005 star_border 6.4
An short movie that is illustrated in black and white using rather simple animation. The story is told by a narrator with a lovely British voice that reminded me of Malcolm McDowell and he does all the voices of all the characters as well. The story is about an ageless old crocodile that is quite nasty--even for a croc! Because he's older and lazy, he mostly just sits around doing very little.

Pieces 2003 star_border 5.7
Short by Koji Yamamura

Mount Head 2002 star_border 6.4
A miserly man eats the pits of some cherries he can't stand throwing out. A tree starts growing from the top of his head. He cuts it off; it grows back. After a while, he gives up and lets it grow, but the crowds that gather on top of his head to enjoy the tree (and leave huge mounds of trash) eventually drive him to uproot the tree. This leaves a crater on top of his head, which fills with water, which becomes a popular lake.

Kid's Castle 1995 star_border 5.3
Short by Koji Yamamura

Kipling Jr. 1995 star_border 5
Short by Koji Yamamura

Karo and Piyobupt: A House 1993 star_border 5.3
The first short in the series Karo and Piyobupt by Koji Yamamura

The Elevator 1991
A normal day turns into a day of adventure when an elevator that carries a boy does not stop where it should.

Perspektivenbox -Researcher's Search- 1990 star_border 5
Short by Koji Yamamura

Serenade 1985 star_border 8
One night Mr. K went for a walk with his pet...

Natural History 1985 star_border 7
An animated short film by Yamamura Kouji.