On October 30, 2017, Professor Vadim Abdrashitov and Vice-Rector of International Affairs Mr. Igor Yusupov of the Russian Federation State Institute of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov (VGIK) visited Tokyo Geidai’s Ueno campus. The guests were welcomed by a group of faculty members of the Graduate School of Film and New Media, consisting of Vice President of International Affairs and Campus Diversity Professor Mitsuko Okamoto, Director of the Graduate School of Film and New Media Professor Takashi Kiriyama, Head of Film Department Professor Takefumi Ttsutsui, and Professor of film Hiroyuki Nagashima.

In the meeting, the two institutions mutually introduced strengths and characteristics of education and research at their institutions and then discussed how they would promote educational exchange in the future. They also visited the synesthetic media laboratory and the hall with a half-dome shaped screen at the COI site, where they exchanged opinions.

Tokyo Geidai received a request for collaboration from VGIK through the Russian Embassy in Japan two years ago, and Professor Tsutsui and Professor Nagashima visited Russia to explore the possibility of inviting researchers and students from VGIK. The Russian film institute is hoping to implement a variety of events related to arts, culture, and exchange toward 2018, the year of cultural exchanges between Japan and Russia. The two institutions expect to see further development of collaboration.