Naomi Kawase facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Naomi Kawase
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Kawase in 2017
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| Born | May 30, 1969 Nara, Japan
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| Other names | Naomi Sento |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Takenori Sento
(m. 1997; div. 2000) |
Naomi Kawase () (河瀨直美, Kawase Naomi) is a famous Japanese filmmaker. She is known for making many documentary films. These include Embracing, which was about her search for her father. Another film, Katatsumori, focused on the grandmother who raised her.
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Early Life and Education
Naomi Kawase grew up in Nara, Japan. Her parents separated when she was young. Because of this, her great-aunt raised her. They had a relationship that was both challenging and full of love.
She first went to the Osaka School of Photography. There, she planned to study television production. But she soon became very interested in making films. So, she changed her focus to film. She learned from a teacher named Shunji Dodo. Naomi Kawase finished her studies in 1989.
Filmmaking Career
After graduating, Naomi Kawase worked at the college for four more years. She was a lecturer there. Then, she released her film Embracing. She was very interested in telling her own story. Many of her first short films were about her family. They explored her childhood and her father's death. The beautiful countryside of Nara also inspired her early movies.
Between 1994 and 1996, she made three films about her great-aunt. These films were Katatsumori, See Heaven, and Sun on the Horizon. She also wrote books based on her films Suzaku and Firefly.
In 2006, she released a documentary called Tarachime. This film was about her great-aunt again. It explored personal topics like her aunt's dementia.
Major Film Successes
Kawase's fourth full-length film was The Mourning Forest. It was shown for the first time in 2007 in her hometown of Nara. This film later won a big award, the Grand Prix. This happened at the famous 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
Her film Hanezu was also shown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. In 2012, the pop star Hikaru Utada asked Kawase to direct a music video. It was for Utada's song "Sakura Nagashi".
In 2013, Naomi Kawase was chosen for an important role. She became a judge for the main film competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Her film Still the Water competed for the top award, the Palme d'Or, at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. In 2015, her film Sweet Bean was shown at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2016, she was named the head of the jury for short films at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
Official Olympics Film
In 2018, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Kawase. They asked her to make the official film for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This film came out in 2022. It has two parts. It shows the 2020 Olympics during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explores how people in Japan felt about the games.
Filmmaking Style and Themes
Naomi Kawase's films often explore the line between real life and made-up stories. She uses a documentary style in her fiction films. This helps her focus on ordinary people. She also challenges how women are shown in Japanese movies. This is important because the film industry there is mostly run by men.
Her films also touch on modern problems in Japan. These include a lower birthrate, feeling alone, and changes in traditional families. She often films in real places. She also likes to work with actors who are not professionals.
Kawase's style is very personal. She uses things like childhood photos in her films. This helps her explore her family history and who she is. Her work often feels very close and private. These ideas are sometimes linked to women's filmmaking.
However, Kawase does not call herself a feminist. She believes that gender is a creative and changing idea. She explains that being a woman helped her look closely at her own life. She feels that being outside the main group can lead to new discoveries. She believes that deep personal stories can connect with everyone.
Kawase's films often break traditional movie rules. She usually films her family and friends. She also shows the connection between herself as the filmmaker and the people in her movies. She often shares her own feelings in her work.
Awards and Recognition
Naomi Kawase won the Caméra d'Or award in 1997. This award is for the best new director. She won it at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival for her film Suzaku. She was the youngest person to win this award.
Here are some of her awards:
- 1997: Camera D'Or, Cannes International Film Festival: Suzaku
- 1999: Special Mention Prize, Vision du Reel: The Weald
- 2000: FIPRESCI Prize: Hotaru
- 2000: CICAE Prize: Hotaru
- 2000: Best Achievement Award in Cinematography and Directing, Buenos Aires International Film Festival: Hotaru
- 2007: Special Prize, Yamagata International Film Festival: Tarachime
- 2007: Grand Prix, Cannes International Film Festival: The Mourning Forest
- 2015: Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France
- 2017: Ecumenical Jury Prize, Cannes International Film Festival: Radiance
- 2021: Mainichi Film Award for Best Director: True Mothers
Filmography
Naomi Kawase has made films using different types of media. These include 8mm film, 16mm film, 35mm film, and video.
- I focus on that which interests me (1988, 5 min)
- The concretization of these things flying around me (1988, 5 min)
- My J-W-F (1988, 10 min)
- Papa's Icecream (1988, 5 min)
- My Solo Family (1989, 10 min)
- Presently (1989, 5 min)
- A Small Largeness (1989, 10 min)
- The Girl's Daily Bread (1990, 10 min)
- Like Happiness (1991, 20 min)
- Embracing (につつまれて; 1992, 40 min)
- White Moon (1993, 55 min)
- Katatsumori (かたつもり; 1994, 40 min)
- See Heaven (天、見たけ; 1995, 10 min)
- Memory of the Wind (1995, 30 min)
- This World (1996, 8 min)
- Sun on the Horizon (陽は傾ぶき; 1996, 45 min)
- Suzaku (萌の朱雀; 1997, 95 min)
- The Weald (杣人物語; 1997, 73 min)
- Kaleidoscope (Mangekyō) (1999, 81 min)
- Firefly (Hotaru) (2000, 164 min)
- Sky, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth (きゃからばあ) (2001, 55 min)
- Letter from a Yellow Cherry Blossom (Tsuioku no dansu) (2003, 65 min)
- Shara (Sharasōju) (2003, 100 min)
- Kage (Shadow) (2006, 26 min)
- Tarachime (2006, 43 min)
- The Mourning Forest (Mogari No Mori) (2007, 97 min)
- Nanayomachi 「七夜待」(2008)
- In Between Days (2009)
- Visitors (2009) (segment "Koma")
- Genpin (2010)
- Hanezu (2011)
- 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero (2011)
- Chiri (2012)
- Still the Water (2014)
- Sweet Bean (2015)
- Radiance (2017)
- Vision (2018)
- True Mothers (2020)
- Tokyo 2020 Official Film (2022)
See also
In Spanish: Naomi Kawase para niños
