CEREMONY FOR YOSHIRO NAKAMATSU
The 12th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival held a ceremony in honor of Yoshiro Nakamatsu, the 82 year old brilliant and eccentric Japanese inventor known as Dr. Nakamats, at the Pavlos Zannas theater on Sunday, March 14.
Dimitri Eipides, Artistic Director of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, welcomed Dr. Nakamats, describing him as a great personality of the international scientific community. “The Japanese scientist, with the impressive number of 3, 400 inventions to his credit and his particular philosophy on life is the star of the documentary The Invention of Dr. Nakamats, by Danish director Kaspar Astrup Schroder. The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival would like to thank Yoshiro Nakamatsu, and to give him an award for his contribution to science and society”, Mr. Eipides noted.
Vassilis Gakis, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Thessaloniki in charge of Culture and Youth gave out the honorary plaque, and congratulated the Festival organizers for an event he called: “a great celebration for the city”. Referring to Yoshiro Nakamatsu, Mr. Gakis noted: “We are honoring a very great inventor, whose life is in essence an invention. This is very important, especially considering the practical applications of his inventions, since this is the most important aspect, that is, how much his inventions have bettered our quality of life”.
Taking his award, Dr. Nakamats spoke warmly of Greece and more specifically of Thessaloniki. He noted that this is his first visit to our country, which he called “the best country in the world”. He added: “I am surprised by the beauty of your country, the politeness and high intelligence of its people, as well as the brilliant sun. I am very happy to be here and I thank you for the honor you have done me.” Speaking of his inventions, Yoshiro Nakamatsu noted that they are not only visible, but also invisible. “The later have the power to improve financial indicators and help your country out of its present difficulties. In the US 17 cities have instituted and celebrate Dr. Nakamats Day. I don’t know if Greece has already done something like this, but it would be a first step in your country’s financial recovery. I hope my inventions can help it overcome its problems and once again become the leading country in the world” the famous inventor noted.
Following Yoshiro Nakamatsu’s reception of the award, the documentary The Invention of Dr. Nakamats was screened. This film had also opened the 12th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival - Images of the 21st Century on Friday, March 12, 2010. In the film, Kaspar Astrup Schroder’s camera follows the energetic scientist just before his 80th birthday, while he tries to extend his life span to 144 years. Dr. Nakamats is the only inventor who has 16 patents with IBM. He believes that love is the source of all inventions, and he claims that remaining under water to the point of drowning gives him the best ideas for inventions.
