Kawase Naomi

Name: Kawase Naomi
Native name: 河瀬直美
Also Known as: Sento Naomi, 仙頭直美, かわせなおみ
Nationality: Japanese
Gender: Female
Born: May 30, 1969
Age: 57

Kawase Naomi is a Japanese film director from Kidera-cho, Nara City, Nara prefecture. She graduated from Nara City Ichijo High School, and from the film department of Osaka Photography College. She is a councilor of the 1300th Anniversary Business Association of Heijo and the executive director of Nara International Film Festival.

In 2007, "The Mourning Forest" won the Grand Prix at the 60th Cannes International Film Festival.

In 2009, at the 62nd Cannes International Film Festival, she was the first woman and Asian to receive the "Carrosse d'or Gold Award" given to directors who contributed to the festival.

In 2014, "Still the Water" won the Grand Prix Best Feature Award at the 12th Vladivostok International Film Festival.

In 2015, she was the first Japanese female film director to receive the Chevalier Medal of French Arts and Culture.

In 2017, "Hikari" was exhibited in the competition section of the 70th Cannes International Film Festival. Although she missed the highest award, Palme d'Or, she won the Ecumenical Jury Award in the independent category. She was the first Japanese female director to receive an award in this category. Edit Biography

Year	Title	Type	Rating
2022	Tokyo 2020 Olympics Side: A	Movie	0.0
2018	Parallel World	Movie	0.0
2018	Cinema Fighters	Movie	7.1
2015	Lies	Movie	8.0
2011	3.11 A Sense of Home	Movie	1.0
2010	Genpin	Movie	8.0
2009	Visitors	Movie	5.9
2009	Cinematic Correspondences: Isaki Lacuesta - Naomi Kawase	Movie	0.0
1996	This World	Movie	0.0

Year	Title	Type	Rating
2020	True Mothers	Movie	7.7
2018	Vision	Movie	7.0
2017	Radiance	Movie	7.2
2016	Seed	Movie	6.7
2015	Sweet Bean	Movie	8.1
2015	Amami	Movie	0.0
2014	Still the Water	Movie	6.9
2012	Trace	Movie	0.0
2011	Hanezu	Movie	6.7
2008	Nanayo	Movie	6.7
2007	The Mourning Forest	Movie	7.1
2006	Birth/Mother	Movie	0.0
2004	Shadow	Movie	0.0
2003	Shara	Movie	7.2
2002	Letter from a Yellow Cherry Blossom	Movie	0.0
2001	Sky, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth	Movie	0.0
2000	Firefly	Movie	0.0
1999	Kaleidoscope	Movie	0.0
1997	Suzaku	Movie	7.3
1997	The Weald	Movie	0.0
1996	Sun on the Horizon	Movie	0.0
1995	Memory of the Wind	Movie	0.0
1995	See Heaven	Movie	6.9
1994	Katatsumori	Movie	7.7
1993	White Moon	Movie	0.0
1992	Embracing	Movie	6.7
1991	Like Happiness	Movie	0.0
1990	The Girls' Daily Bread	Movie	0.0
1989	A Small Largeness	Movie	0.0
1989	My Solo Family	Movie	0.0
1989	Ima,	Movie	0.0
1988	Papa's Ice Cream	Movie	0.0
1988	I Focus on That Which Interests Me	Movie	0.0
1988	My J-W-F	Movie	0.0
1988	The Concretization of These Things Flying Around Me	Movie	0.0

Year	Title	Type	Rating
2015	A Midsummer's Fantasia	Movie	7.5
2013	A Tale of Your Scab	Movie	0.0
2010	Last Chestnuts	Movie	0.0

Year	Title	Type	Rating
2022	Beyond the Fog	Movie	7.0
2020	Seeing Nara Again	Movie	7.6
2019	The Nikaidos' Fall	Movie	7.2
2018	The Wolves of the East	Movie	0.0

Year	Title	#	Role	Rating
2017	Yamada Takayuki no Cannes Kokusai Eigasai Japanese Drama, 2017, 11 eps [Herself] (Ep. 6-7) (Guest Role)	11	[Herself] (Ep. 6-7) Guest Role	8.6

Year	Title	Role	Rating
2025	Echoes of Motherhood Japanese Movie, 2025, (Support Role)	Support Role	0.0
2020	Silent Rain Japanese Movie, 2020, [Koyomi's mother] (Support Role)	[Koyomi's mother] Support Role	7.2
2014	The Tale Of Iya Japanese Movie, 2014, Dr. Amamiya (Support Role)	Dr. Amamiya Support Role	7.1
2013	Shining Besides Funny Moon Japanese Movie, 2013, (Support Role)	Support Role	0.0
2012	Trace Japanese Movie, 2012, [Herself] (Main Role)	[Herself] Main Role	0.0
2009	Cinematic Correspondences: Isaki Lacuesta - Naomi Kawase Japanese Movie, 2009, [Herself] (Main Role)	[Herself] Main Role	0.0
2006	Birth/Mother Japanese Movie, 2006, [Herself] (Main Role)	[Herself] Main Role	0.0
2003	Shara Japanese Movie, 2003, Reiko (Support Role)	Reiko Support Role	7.2
2002	Letter from a Yellow Cherry Blossom Japanese Movie, 2002, [Herself] (Guest Role)	[Herself] Guest Role	0.0
2001	Sky, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth Japanese Movie, 2001, [Herself] (Main Role)	[Herself] Main Role	0.0
1999	Kaleidoscope Japanese Movie, 1999, [Herself / Voice] (Main Role)	[Herself / Voice] Main Role	0.0
1998	Love & Pop Japanese Movie, 1998, [Hiromi's narration] (Support Role)	[Hiromi's narration] Support Role	7.3
1992	Embracing Japanese Movie, 1992, [Herself] (Main Role)	[Herself] Main Role	6.7
1988	My J-W-F Japanese Movie, 1988, [Herself] (Main Role)	[Herself] Main Role	0.0
1988	Papa's Ice Cream Japanese Movie, 1988, [Herself] (Main Role)	[Herself] Main Role	0.0

Year	Title	#	Role	Rating
2007	Bokura no Jidai Japanese TV Show, 2007, 900 eps (Guest)	900	Guest	0.0
1998	Jounetsu Tairiku Japanese TV Show, 1998, 1331 eps (Ep. 864) {Aug 2, 2015} (Guest)	1331	(Ep. 864) {Aug 2, 2015} Guest	8.0

Top 12 upcoming dramas on every fan's watchlist

Editorials - Sep 19, 2026

From highly anticipated adaptations to gripping thrillers, the upcoming drama lineup has something for every fan. With teasers already dropping, these 12 dramas are generating plenty of buzz even before their premieres. Here are the titles to keep on your