Kawase Naomi
Biography
- Kawase, Naomi (1969)
- Born: 30 May 1969, Nara
Selected Filmography
- 1988 I focus on that which interests me
- 1990 The Girl's Daily Bread
- 1991 Like Happiness
- 1992 Embracing
- 1993 White Moon
- 1994 Katatsumori
- 1997 Moe no Suzaku
- 2000 Hotaru
- 2001 Kya Ka Ra Ba A
- 2002 Letter from a Yellow Cherry Blossom
- 2003 Sharasojyu
- 2004 Kage (Shadow)
Aside being award winning film director, Kawase Naomi is a basketball player. In her junior high school days she was a captain, and led her team to the National Athletic Meet. Maybe this is where she got her strength and power for her career.
She graduated from Osaka School of Photography which latter became the School of Visual arts. She worked as a lecturer there for four years.
Her debut film Suzaku (1996) got her an award in Cannes. People in Europe love her, Hotaru (2000) got then two awards in Swizerland, FIPRESCI Prize and prestigious CICAE Prize. But there seems to be no end for her success in Cannes, the magical masterpiece SHARA (Sharasojyu) (2003) located in her birthplace, brought her another prize.
Naomi Kawase's movies are documentary style productions, with exprimental angles, and constantly moving camera. She loves handheld cameras and the feel of a real film. In her one of the most recent movies she depicted her own child delivery. As cencors prohibited displaying such movie in public theaters, she displayed the movie by herself. She often appears in her own movies and she has obvious talent for being as a subject for camera as well.
Her films often focus on depicting humanity from different angles. The actors in her movies behave amazingly naturally, as if they were not acting at all. She lets the camera tell the story and there is no need for verbal lines so much.
Critics say Kawase Naomi is totally unique director unlike any talent ever seen. She can success in the most difficult task in filmmaking, capturing the invisible to the film.
