Since its inception, the YIDFF has strived to achieve the following goals.
* To illustrate the current state of documentary cinema, by collecting radical documentary works from around the world and focusing on this genre, which continues to follow its own distinctive direction even as cinema has become established as a common global culture.
* To impart the appeal of documentary, by allowing as many people as possible to see the world’s best documentary cinema in Japan, where opportunities for viewing are few and far between. To present new realms and possibilities for expression through cinema, which is generally recognized as mass entertainment.
* To explore new concepts in the field of documentary, which is building a niche for itself while converging with various media in our high-tech information society.
* To uncover new talent and expand spheres of interaction, by actively encouraging the works of young filmmakers.