Koji Yamamura  

Yamamura Kouji

Koji Yamamura is an animator from Japan who was born on June 4, 1964. He started making animated films at a young age, when he created his first film at just 13 years old. While studying painting at Tokyo Zokei University between 1983 and 1987, Yamamura also worked as an art assistant and special effects modeler for major movies. During this time, he was influenced by short animated films from Canada, Russia, and Europe, particularly the work of Ishu Patel, Yury Norshtein, and Priit Pärn. After graduating from university, Yamamura began his career as an animation background artist at Mukuo Studio. However, he left the studio in 1989 to work freelance. In 1993, he founded Yamamura Animation, Inc., which he runs with his wife Sanae. One of his most notable works is Mt. Head (2002), which was nominated for an Oscar in 2003 and won several awards at international film festivals, including the Grand Prix at Annecy 03, Zagreb 04, and Hiroshima 04. Yamamura is also known as an illustrator, with several picture books published to his name. His big exhibition "Yamamura Animation Museum" was held at Aichi Expo 05 in Japan, and his works have been shown in over 30 countries and awarded various honorable prizes. Retrospective screenings of his work have been held in over 20 countries, including the Melbourne International Film Festival and the National Film Theater in the UK. In addition to his work as an animator and illustrator, Yamamura is a visiting professor at Tokyo Zokei University since 2004 and a professor of the department of Animation, Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts since 2008. He is also a sub-chairman of the Japan Animation Association (JAA) and a member of the board of directors of the Japanese branch of the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA).