mAAN 2006 International Short Film Competition
"here, there and everywhere: Living Amidst our Heritage and Cultural Assets"

Guide Me Through Your Neighborhood Asia conjectures images of mega-cities such as Shanghai, Tokyo, Jakarta, Bangkok, Bombay and Istanbul, but these cities are more global than Asian. Urbanites surrounded by identical consumer goods, enjoy the same material comfort, and lead lives that are not very different. The thrust towards uniformity in people's lives everywhere caused by the globally circulating capital has markedly accelerated since the end of the 20th century.

But the cities we live in refuse to remain silent when faced with pressures to conform. Cities are as diverse as the population, as you and me. Small but distinctive neighborhoods are sprouting, here, there, and everywhere within our cities. Cities are not static spaces in a given moment of time, awaiting to be classified and analyzed by total strangers. Cities are defined by the diverse communities and neighborhoods that we create.

What can you tell us about your neighborhood? Your neighborhood must be full of not-yet-recognized charms and wonders, which might be newly discovered when captured through a camera lens. By sharing your views on your own neighborhood, you might trigger interaction with people of other neighborhoods throughout the world. And, such empathic interaction should eventually encourage us all, bodily as well as mentally, to withstand and even overcome the global conformity.

Please express your self through film.
We invite you to submit your short film.
The theme of this competition is NOT confined to Asia.
All places in the world can be your objects or subjects.
[Category 1: Heritage]
Please submit films that represent your city or a particular neighborhood within it by showing "treasures" that give the audience the sense of what living there is really like. No limitations as to the number of such treasures (both tangible and intangible) that you should choose to film, but inclusion of some architectural structures is highly recommended.
[Category 2: Cultural Assets]
Your film should reflect your thoughts regarding how you would ensure that continuity of the unique sense of a certain "place" (a city, neighborhood, community, etc.) is maintained against the global conformity pressures, and at the same time, a rich future for that place could be created without "freezing" the place as a museum piece or "Dignified" showcase of the local tradition for global consumption.

--- Rules for Application ---

1.	Length of film Maximum 10 minutes
2.	Media to be used for submission DVD
3.	Deadline for application September 15, 2006
4.	Conditions to be met 1) With the exception of English films, please insert English titles and subtitles. 2) We will not accept work that has already been received the prize, or commercialized. 3) Only the original work of the applicant is accepted. 4) Both individuals and groups may submit applications. 5) mAAN holds the right to broadcast and show the films for 3 years. The films can be shown by mAAN after the close of the 2006 mAAN Tokyo Conference, if they are for non-profit purposes. mAAN cannot show the films for profit. 6) Award-wining films and videos may be digitally uploaded and shown on the mAAN website
5.	Please be sure to send us a copy of the work, not the original, because we will not be responsible for any loss or damage to any work during handling and will not return it to you.
6.	Please send your films or video works to: Address: Dr. Shin Muramatsu, mAAN 2006 Film Competition Committee The University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science, Bw 701 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan Phone: +81-3-5452-6442, Email: maan@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp
7.	Please attach the following documents: 1) Application Form 2) Letter of Consent To be downloaded from here >> Download : WORD.zip >> Download : PDF.zip

--- Award ---
Awards will be presented to the winners, and their films will be shown at the mAAN Tokyo Conference.
  Gold Price: 1 film: USD1000
  Silver Award: 2 films
  Special Award: 1 film

--- Judges ---(...additional information to be announced later)
Kundo Koyama (JAPAN / Video art writer)
Yasuhiro OMORI (JAJPAN/ Visual Anthropologist / National Museum of Ethnology)
Hideyuki MIYAOKA (JAPAN / Film director, Studio Malaparte)
Jagan Shah (INDIA / Architect)
Gary Yeung (HONG KONG / Architect)