Kōji Yamamura

is a Japanese independent animator who, after leaving a career as a background artist at an animation studio, directs, writes, edits, animates, creates the model sheets and background art for and sometimes produces his own short films and has worked on many commissions such as music videos, television advertisements, title sequences and station idents, both on his own and under or with other directors. He is also a regular illustrator of children's literature and textbooks.

His animation spans a variety of media, his earliest independent works mixing clay painting and stop motion with cels, but has latterly come to concentrate on traditional animation. Two of his most famous and acclaimed films are the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film-nominated and Cristal d'Annecy–winning Mt. Head and the Ottawa Grand Prize and Ōfuji Noburō Award–winning A Country Doctor. His 2011 short film Muybridge's Strings was one of five animated shorts nominated for the Genie Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 32nd Genie Awards in 2012.

Biography

Yamamura was born in Nagoya and studied painting at Tokyo Zokei University. His 2002 movie Mt. Head (Atama Yama) won the short film award for the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the Grand Prize at the 2004 World Festival of Animated Films - Animafest Zagreb and was nominated for the Academy Award for Animated Short Film. Yamamura won the 2007 Ottawa Grand Prix with his animated adaptation of Franz Kafka's "A Country Doctor." Both of the films were included in the Animation Show of Shows.

Yamamura also held an exhibition at the Aichi Expo 2005.

In 2012, Yamamura received the 30th Kawakita Award. He was awarded the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Fine Arts (Media Arts category) in 2018, and received the Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Japanese government in 2019.

Filmography Year Title (English) Title (Original) Running time 1987 Aquatic 水棲 (Suisei) 5 min. 1989 Japanese-English Pictionary ひゃっかずかん (Hyakkazukan) 12 min. 1990 Perspektivenbox -Researcher's Search- 遠近法の箱 (Enkinhō no Hako -Hakase no Sagashimono-) 4 min. 1991 The Elevator ふしぎなエレベーター (Fushigina Erebētā, "Mysterious Elevator") 7 min. 1993 Karo & Piyobupt: A House, The Sandwiches and Imagination カロとピヨブプト (Karo to Piyobuputo): おうち (O-Uchi), サンドイッチ (Sandoicchi), and あめのひ (Ame no Hi, "Rainy Day") 4 min., 4 min. and 4 min. 1995Pacusi パクシ (Pakushi) 18 × 1 min. 1995 Kipling Jr. キップリングJr. (Kippuringu Jr.) 14 min. 1995 Kid's Castle キッズキャッスル (Kizzu Kyassuru) 5 min. 1996 Bavel's Book バベルの本 (Baberu no Hon) 5 min. 1998 Mr. Rib Globe 地球肋骨男 (Chikyū Rokkotsu Otoko) 2 min. 1999 CARP for REMtv N/A 48 sec. 1999 Your Choice! どっちにする？ (Docchi ni Suru?, "Which Do You Choose?") 10 min. 2002 Mt. Head 頭山 (Atamayama) 10 min. 2003 Pieces おまけ (Omake, "Extra" or "Bonus") 2 min. 2003 an unnamed segment for Winter Days N/A 40 sec. 2005 The Old Crocodile 年をとった鰐 (Toshi o Totta Wani) 13 min. 2006 Fig, a segment for Image Forum Festival 2005's Tokyo Loop N/A 5 min. 2007 Franz Kafka: Ein Landarzt (A Country Doctor) カフカ 田舎医者 (Kafuka: Inaka Isha) 21 min. 2011 Muybridge's Strings マイブリッジの糸 (Maiburijji no Ito) 12 min. 2019 Dreams into Drawing ゆめみのえ (Yumemi no E) 10 min. 2021 Dozens of Norths 幾多の北 (Ikuta no Kita) 64 min. 2023 My Inner Ear Quartet 耳に棲むもの (Mimi ni Sumumono) 35 min.