View source for Naomi Kawase

{{short description|Japanese filmmaker}}
{{use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{western name order|Kawase Naomi}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Naomi Kawase
| native_name        = {{lang|ja|河瀨直美}}
| image              = Naomi Kawase at the 78th Locarno Film Festival in 2025 06.jpg
| caption            = Naomi Kawase at the 78th Locarno Film Festival in 2025
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1969|05|30}}
| birth_place        = [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], Japan
| other_names        = Naomi Sento
| spouse             = {{marriage|Takenori Sento|October 1997|March 2000|reason=div.}}
| occupation         = Filmmaker
| years_active       = 1992–present
}}

'''Naomi Kawase''' ({{pronunciation|Naomi Kawase.ogg}}; {{langx|ja|河瀨直美|Kawase Naomi}}; born May 30, 1969) is a Japanese [[film director]]. She was also briefly known as {{nihongo | '''Naomi Sento''' | 仙頭直美 | Sentō Naomi}}, with her former husband's surname. Many of her works have been documentaries, including ''Embracing'', about her search for the father who abandoned her as a child, and ''Katatsumori'', about the grandmother who raised her.

==Early life and education==
Growing up in the rural region of [[Nara, Japan|Nara]], Kawase's parents split early on in her childhood, leaving her to be raised by her great-aunt, with whom she held a combative, yet loving, relationship.<ref name= "Karatsu">Karatsu 2009, p. 168.</ref>

She originally attended the {{nihongo|[[Osaka School of Photography]]|大阪写真専門学校|Ōsaka Shashin Senmon Gakkō|now Visual Arts College Osaka}}<ref name= match/> to study [[television production]], but she became interested in film and decided to switch her focus.<ref name = "Kawase Naomi">{{cite web |url= http://www.yidff.jp/docbox/16/box16-1-1-e.html | title= Kawase Naomi | access-date= 2012-05-07| work= yidff.jp| publisher= Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival | location = Japan}}</ref> She was a student of [[Shunji Dodo]] at the college. She graduated in 1989.<ref name= match>{{citation | url = http://www.matchandcompany.com/bookshopm/pdf/bookshop_m_catalog.pdf | title = Catalog | website = matchandcompany.com| publisher = Match & Co | access-date = 2010-08-24}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = continuity voice | publisher =| website= [[Mainichi Broadcasting System|MBS]].jp | date = 21 May 2010 | url = http://www.mbs.jp/voice/special/201005/21_29164.shtml | title = Transcription | access-date = 2010-08-25 | language = ja }}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted= yes }}</ref>

==Career==
After graduating,  she spent an additional four years at the college as a lecturer before releasing ''Embracing''. Employing her interest in [[autobiography]], most of her first short films focus on her turbulent family history, including her abandonment and her father's death.<ref name = "An Interview">{{cite web |url= http://www.meniscuszine.com/articles/20080819517/an-interview-with-naomi-kawase-director-of-the-mourning-forest/ | title= An interview with Naomi Kawase, director of "The Mourning Forest" | access-date= 2012-05-07|work= Meniscus Magazine | date= 19 August 2008 | location = US}}</ref> Many of her first forays into filmmaking were autobiographical, inspired heavily by the rural landscape.<ref name="Karatsu"/>

Between 1994 and 1996, she released a trilogy of films about her great-aunt: ''Katatsumori'', ''See Heaven'' and ''Sun on the Horizon''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sun on the Horizon (1996) {{!}} 組画|url=http://www.kawasenaomi.com/kumie/en/works/2015/03/post_25.html|access-date=2020-11-12|website=www.kawasenaomi.com}}</ref> She [[Novelization|novelized]] her films ''[[Suzaku (film)|Suzaku]]'' and ''Firefly''.

In 2006, she released the forty-minute documentary ''Tarachime'', which she prefers to be screened before her film from the following year. ''Tarachime'' revisits Kawase's relationship with her great-aunt, tackling very personal themes such as her aunt's growing [[dementia]].<ref name="An Interview"/>

Kawase completed production on her fourth full-length film ''[[The Mourning Forest]]'' (''Mogari no Mori''), which premièred in June 2007 in her hometown Nara and went on to win the [[Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)|Grand Prix]] at the [[2007 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="cannes-2007.com">{{cite web | url= http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4434919/year/2007.html | title = The Mourning Forest |access-date=2009-12-20|work= Festival de Cannes | location = France}}</ref>

Her 2011 film ''[[Hanezu]]'' premiered in competition at the [[2011 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name = "Cannes2011">{{cite web |url= http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/article/58041.html | title= Official Selection | access-date= 2011-04-15|work= Festival de Cannes | location = France}}</ref><ref name = "guardian.co.uk">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/apr/14/cannes-film-festival-2011-full-lineup |title=Cannes film festival 2011: The full lineup | access-date = 2011-04-15| work= The Guardian | location = UK | date=2011-04-14}}</ref>

Pop star [[Hikaru Utada]] asked Kawase to create the [[music video]] for her 2012 single {{nihongo|"[[Sakura Nagashi]]"|桜流し||{{lit.}} "Flowing Cherry Blossoms/Cherry Blossoms Sinking"}}, later to be included on Utada's 2016 album ''[[Fantôme (Hikaru Utada album)|Fantôme]]''.

In 2013 Kawase was selected as a member of the main competition jury at the [[2013 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/nicole-kidman-christopher-waltz-ang-lee-among-cannes-jury-members-1200410650/ | title=Nicole Kidman, Christopher Waltz, Ang Lee Among Cannes Jury Members | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | publisher=[[Reed Business Information]] | date=23 April 2013 | access-date=23 April 2013 | last=Saperstein | first=Pat}}</ref>

Her 2014 film ''[[Still the Water]]'' was selected to compete for the [[Palme d'Or]] in the main competition section at the [[2014 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="Cannes2014">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/article/60533.html |title=2014 Official Selection |access-date=17 April 2014 |work=Cannes}}</ref> Her 2015 film ''[[Sweet Bean]]'' was screened in the [[Un Certain Regard]] section at the [[2015 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="2015Cannes">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/fr/article/61323.html |title=Complement to the Official Selection |access-date=23 April 2015 |date=23 April 2015 |work=Cannes Film Festival}}</ref>

In April 2016 she was announced as the president of the jury for the [[Cinéfondation]] and short films section of the [[2016 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/article/62146.html |title=The Short Films and Cinéfondation Jury 2016 |date=28 April 2016 |access-date=28 April 2016 |work=Cannes Film Festival}}</ref>

On October 23, 2018, it was announced that Kawase had been selected by the IOC to shoot the official film for the [[2020 Tokyo Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-15|title=Naomi Kawase appointed to direct the Official Film of Tokyo 2020 - Olympic News|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/naomi-kawase-appointed-to-direct-the-official-film-of-tokyo-2020|access-date=2021-12-27|website=International Olympic Committee|language=en}}</ref> Released in 2022, the two-part film places the 2020 Olympics within the wider context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the mixed reactions to the games from Japanese society.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Thomas Page|title=Naomi Kawase's Olympic film promises to be like nothing you've ever seen before|url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/naomi-kawase-olympic-film-tokyo-2020-interview-spc-intl/index.html|access-date=2021-12-27|website=CNN|date=20 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

==Controversies==
On December 26, 2021, the [[NHK]] aired a documentary about the production behind Kawase's 2020 Olympics documentary. Footage and captions  alleged that protesters were paid money to attend anti-Olympics demonstrations as part of larger opposition against the games. One of the men interviewed later stated he was "unsure" if he had actually attended any anti-Olympics rallies. NHK Osaka cited "editorial oversights" and "deficiencies in research", issuing an apology. They denied that the footage was deliberately fabricated to be misleading.<ref>{{Cite news|script-title=ja:NHKの河瀬直美さんの五輪番組、字幕に不確かな内容 21年放送|url=https://mainichi.jp/articles/20220109/k00/00m/040/127000c|access-date=10 January 2022|work=Mainichi Shimbun|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|script-title=ja:NHK、事実確認せず不適切字幕「金もらって」「五輪反対デモ参加」|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ196WCCQ19PTFC004.html|access-date=10 January 2022|website=The Asahi Shimbun|date=9 January 2022 |language=ja}}</ref> On January 13, 2022, the NHK Osaka director [[Terunobu Maeda]] apologized during a press conference, admitting that the captions "should not have been included". Again he denied that the incident was a fabrication.<ref>{{Cite news|script-title=ja:NHK字幕問題 大阪放送局長陳謝「入れるべきではなかった」|url=https://mainichi.jp/articles/20220113/k00/00m/040/149000c|access-date=14 January 2022|website=Mainichi Shimbun|language=ja}}</ref> On February 10, 2022 NHK Osaka announced an internal review and fired 6 production staff members. <ref>{{Cite news|script-title=ja:五輪反対デモ「金で動員」の字幕、「誤り」と判断　NHK、職員処分|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ2B5QG5Q2BUCVL00X.html|access-date=21 October 2024|website=The Asahi Shimbun|date=10 February 2022 |language=ja}}</ref>

In April 2022, ''[[Shūkan Bunshun]]'' reported that Kawase kicked a camera assistant in the stomach while filming ''[[True Mothers]]'' in May 2019, leading cinematographer Yūta Tsukinaga and his team to resign mid-production. Kawase did not deny the allegation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/53961|script-title=ja:東京五輪公式記録映画・河瀬直美監督 撮影中の暴行でカメラマンが降板|work=Shūkan Bunshun|language=ja|date=April 27, 2022|access-date=May 25, 2022}}</ref> In May 2022, the magazine also reported that she assaulted an employee at her production company, Kumie, in October 2015. The employee was reportedly punched in the face with a closed fist and chased through the office by Kawase. Later that day the employee gathered his belongings from the office and quit. When interviewed by Shūkan Bunshun he stated, "It's true that I was punched by Kawase-san. It's something that occurred in the past and is not something I will comment about publicly."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/54607|script-title=ja:「拳で顔面を殴打」東京五輪公式記録映画・河瀬直美監督が事務所スタッフに暴力|work=Shūkan Bunshun|language=ja|date=May 25, 2022|access-date=May 25, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.zakzak.co.jp/article/20220526-XI2IIXBX4JKQXFYWS5EPPARTRA/|script-title=ja:河瀨直美監督に今度は殴打パワハラ疑惑　撮影助手への腹蹴りに続き...優秀な男性職員の退職申し出に「怒りをぶつけたよう」　週刊文春報道|work=Gekkan Fuji|language=ja|date=May 26, 2022|access-date=March 8, 2023}}</ref>

Kawase denied both allegations and claimed the matters were handled internally.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/naomi-kawase-denies-2015-assault-allegations/5172655.article | title=Naomi Kawase denies 2015 assault allegations }}</ref>

==Styles and themes==
Kawase's work is heavily concerned with the distorted space between fiction and non-fiction that has occurred within the state of modern Japanese society, approaching "fiction with a documentarian's gaze."<ref>Yamane 2002.</ref> She employs this documentary-realism to focus on individuals of lesser cultural status, challenging prevailing representations of women within the male-dominated Japanese film industry.<ref name="Karatsu"/> This theme is also connected to her own personal reflections on contemporary issues in the current climate of economic depression such as the declining birthrate, alienation, and the collapse of traditional family structures.<ref>Karatsu 2009, p. 167.</ref>

She frequently shoots on location with amateur actors.<ref name="Karatsu"/>

Kawase's style also invokes the autobiographical practices related to documentary style. Familiar and personal objects such as childhood photographs, and to explore her family history and identity. Her work reflects the personal, intimate, and domestic. Themes that are often associated with feminist practices and Women's Cinema.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Karatsu|first=Rie|date=2009-03-30|title=Questions for a Women's Cinema: Fact, Fiction and Memory in the Films of Naomi Kawase|journal=Visual Anthropology|volume=22|issue=2–3|pages=167–181|doi=10.1080/08949460802623739|s2cid=144460326|issn=0894-9468}}</ref>

However, Kawase herself does not classify as a [[feminist]] due to [[Japanese feminism]]'s tendency to persist collective identity and view women's problems through a narrow ideological lens. Instead, she looks at gender as a creative and fluid realm, rather than as a negative fixation. Kawase explains:
{{Blockquote|text=It is extremely difficult for us to observe our own life, as it involves looking into the embarrassing or undesirable aspects of ourselves. In a way, being a woman made it easier for me to look closely at my own environment. Women tend to be more intuitive and rely more on their senses, or it might be due to gender status differences in Japan ... Not being in the mainstream or the center, she can make new discoveries. In my case, I will create things from the sources within myself. I believe that at the depth of the personal there is something universal. [Sento 1999: 47]<ref name=":0" />}}

Kawase's films challenge cinematic conventions.<ref name=":0" /> Her subjects are primarily family and friends, and she frequently depicts the relationships between the filmmaker and the subject, and is self-reflexive of her own thoughts and emotions in her works.

==Awards==
She became the youngest winner of the la [[Caméra d'Or]] award (best new director) at the [[1997 Cannes Film Festival]] for her first 35mm film, ''[[Suzaku (film)|Suzaku]]''.

This is a list of some of her awards:<ref>{{citation | publisher = KAWASE Naomi | url = http://www.kawasenaomi.com/en/profile/ | title = Profile | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120507162348/http://www.kawasenaomi.com/en/profile/ | archive-date = 2012-05-07 }}.</ref>
*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<ref>{{cite web|title=La France récompense la réalisatrice japonaise Naomi Kawase|url=http://www.romandie.com/news/La-France-recompense-la-realisatrice-japonaise-Naomi-Kawase/551872.rom|website=Romandie.com|access-date=7 January 2015|language=fr}}</ref>
*2017: Ecumenical Jury Prize, Cannes International Film Festival: ''[[Radiance (2017 film)|Radiance]]''
*2021: [[Mainichi Film Award for Best Director]]: ''[[True Mothers]]''<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.crank-in.net/news/85376/1|title= 毎日映画コンクール大賞は『MOTHER マザー』に決定 主演賞は森山未來＆水川あさみ|access-date= January 22, 2021|work= Crank-in!|date= 22 January 2021}}</ref>

==Filmography==
Kawase's work was originally produced in various media: 8mm film, 16mm film, 35mm film, and video.<ref>{{citation | publisher = KAWASE Naomi | url = http://www.kawasenaomi.com/en/works/ | title = Works | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100324000830/http://www.kawasenaomi.com/en/works/ | archive-date = 2010-03-24 }}.</ref>
{{div col}}
*''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'' ({{nihongo2|につつまれて}}; 1992, 40 min)
* ''White Moon'' (1993, 55 min)
* ''Katatsumori'' ({{nihongo2|かたつもり}}; 1994, 40 min)
* ''See Heaven'' ({{nihongo2|天、見たけ}}; 1995, 10 min)
* ''Memory of the Wind'' (1995, 30 min)
* ''This World'' (1996, 8 min)
* ''Sun on the Horizon'' ({{nihongo2|陽は傾ぶき}}; 1996, 45 min)
* ''[[Suzaku (film)|Suzaku]]'' ({{nihongo2|萌の朱雀}}; 1997, 95 min)
* ''The Weald'' ({{nihongo2|杣人物語}}; 1997, 73 min)
* ''Kaleidoscope'' (''Mangekyō'') (1999, 81 min)
* ''[[Firefly (2000 film)|Firefly]]'' (''Hotaru'') (2000, 164 min)
* ''Sky, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth'' ({{nihongo2|きゃからばあ}}) (2001, 55 min)
* ''Letter from a Yellow Cherry Blossom'' (''Tsuioku no dansu'') (2003, 65 min)
* ''[[Shara (film)|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 film)|Radiance]]'' (2017)
* ''[[Vision (2018 film)|Vision]]'' (2018)
* ''[[True Mothers]]'' (2020)
* ''[[2020 Summer Olympics|Tokyo 2020 Official Film]]'' (2022)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19885624/#|title=Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Side A (2022)|website=IMDB.com|access-date=21 July 2024|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21056860/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_tokyo%25202020%2520side|title=Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Side B|website=IMDB.com|access-date=21 July 2024|language=en}}</ref><ref>IOC (2022) [https://olympics.com/ioc/news/official-film-of-the-olympic-games-tokyo-2020-premieres-at-the-festival-de-cannes Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 premieres at the Festival de Cannes]</ref>
* ''[[Yakushima's Illusion]]'' (2025)<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202507290000379.html|title= 河瀬直美監督、東京五輪映画以来の「たしかにあった幻」ロカルノ映画祭に出品、寛一郎が出演|trans-title=Director Naomi Kawase's first film since the Tokyo Olympics, "A Real Vision," is being screened at the Locarno Film Festival, starring Kanichiro|access-date= 29 July 2025|date= 29 July 2025|website= Nikkan Sports|language=ja}}</ref>
* ''[[Echoes of Motherhood]]'' (2025)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

===Sources===
* {{citation | editor-last = Lopez | editor-first = José Manuel | year = 2008 | title = El cine en el umbral | place = Madrid | publisher = T&B | isbn = 978-84-96576-63-6 | language = es}}.
* {{citation | editor-last = Novielli | editor-first = Roberta Maria | year = 2002 | title = Kawase Naomi: i film, il cinema | place = Cantalupa, TO | publisher = Effatà | isbn = 978-88-7402-012-6 | language = es}}.
* {{citation | last = Karatsu | first = Rie | year = 2009 | title = Questions for a Women's Cinema: Fact, Fiction and Memory in the Films of Naomi Kawase | journal = Visual Anthropology | volume = 22 | issue = 2–3 | pages = 167–181 | place = Japan | doi = 10.1080/08949460802623739 | s2cid = 144460326 }}.
* {{citation | last = Yamane | first = Sadao | year = 2002 | title = Tokyo Journal | journal = Film Comment: Publ. By the Film Society of Lincoln Center | place = US | publisher = Film Society of Lincoln Center | issn = 0015-119X }}.

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://www.kawasenaomi.com/}}
* {{IMDb name|0442905|Kawase Naomi}} 
* [http://www.yidff.jp/docbox/16/box16-1-1-e.html Interview with Kawase Naomi] – Documentary Box (Interviewer: Aaron Gerow)
* [http://www.meniscuszine.com/articles/20080819517/an-interview-with-naomi-kawase-director-of-the-mourning-forest/ Interview with Naomi Kawase] – Meniscus Magazine
* [http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en/person/36884.html at Rotterdam Film Festival] 
* [http://www.cfnavarra.es/puntodevista/pdv_web/secciones/retrospectivas/06_ficha_document_esp.asp?film=50&i=1&s=33 at Punto de Vista Documentary Film Festival of Navarra] {{in lang|es}}
* {{jmdb name|id=0461740|name=河瀬直美 (Naomi Kawase)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Naomi Kawase}}
{{Navboxes 
|title = Awards for Naomi Kawase
|list =
{{Hochi Film Award for Best Director}}
{{Mainichi Film Award for Best Director}}
{{Tokyo International Film Festival – Best Actress}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawase, Naomi}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Japanese women cinematographers]]
[[Category:Japanese women film directors]]
[[Category:Japanese cinematographers]]
[[Category:Japanese documentary filmmakers]]
[[Category:Japanese film directors]]
[[Category:Japanese film editors]]
[[Category:Japanese film producers]]
[[Category:Japanese women film producers]]
[[Category:Japanese screenwriters]]
[[Category:People from Nara, Nara]]
[[Category:Japanese women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]
[[Category:Japanese women editors]]
[[Category:Women film editors]]
[[Category:Women documentary filmmakers]]
[[Category:Directors of Caméra d'Or winners]]