The youngest-ever winner of the Camera d’Or continues to make waves at the Cannes Film Festival. Naomi Kawase has been named as the president of both the Cinefondation section and Short Film Jury.
Ten years after her history-making win for “Suzaku,” Kawse’s “The Mourning Forest” took home the Grand Prix award at the prestigious fest
In 2013, the Japanese writer-director served on Cannes’ Feature Film Jury.
“Films enrich people’s lives, and their worlds inspire new possibilities,” Kawase said. “It is a little over 100 years since the advent of films, and their potential is ever expanding. They are exceptional media that can embody the diversity of world cultures, and their stories are like another life that enchants the audiences who see them.”
She continued, “Short films are exceptionally difficult, facing the question of how much of a story can be experienced in their short duration, while they also contain myriad possibilities yet unseen. And among films created by students there will be the discovery of hidden brilliance like a gemstone, which makes me very much look forward to participating in this jury, a journey of adventure.”
Kawase created the International Nara Film Festival, which promotes the work of young directors.
Last week we reported that L’Atelier de la Cinéfondation will host 16 emerging directors at Cannes, but a mere quarter of them are women — Mouly Surya, Kyoko Miyake, Pooja Gurung and Gaya Jiji.
The festival has been notoriously unwelcoming to female filmmakers. From 2005 to 2015, only 9% of films in the main competition were directed by women.
The 2016 Cannes Film Festival kicks off May 11. Kawase’s “Sweet Bean” opens in theaters March 18.
