Naomi Kawase

• Japanese director, born in Nara in 1969.

  After a degree in photography, she directed several short and mid-length films. In 1997, she completed her first feature film, Suzaku, which won the Caméra d’or in Cannes. The film takes place in Nara, her native province, whose rural landscapes she has never stopped filming. Her body of work stands out through its combination of introspection and spirituality, filmed through the prism of daily life. Hotaru (2000) and The Mourning Forest (2007) were to follow, the latter wining the Grand Prix in Cannes, and later, Hanezu (2010). A member of the Jury in 2013, she returned to present Still the Water in competition the following year. She then created her most popular success Sweet Bean (2015), before shooting Radiance (2017), Vision (2018) and True Mothers (2021). She also directed the official film for the 2020 Olympic Games.

  Photo ©︎ Lorenzo Campus

• Embracing (につつまれて, 1992) – Katatsumori (かたつもり, 1994) – Sun on the Horizon (陽は傾ぶき, 1996) – This World (現しよ, corélisé avec Hirokazu Kore-eda) – Suzaku (萌の朱雀, 1996) – The Weald (杣人物語,1998) – Kaleidoscope (万華鏡, 1999) – Firefly (火垂, 2000) – Letter from a Yellow Cherry Blossom (追臆のダンス, 2002) – Shara (沙羅双樹, 2003) – Shadow (影-, 2004) – Birth/Mother (垂乳根, 2006) – The Morning Forest (殯の森, 2007) – Nanayomachi (七夜待, 2008) – Koma (狛, 2009) – Genpin (玄牝, 2010) – Hanezu (朱花の月, 2011) – Still the Water (2つ目の窓, 2014) – A Sweet Taste of Life (あん, 2015) – Radiance (光, 2017) – Vision (2018) – True Mothers (朝が来る, 2020) – Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo (2022)