No stranger to representing Japan on the world stage, Naomi Kawase has screened eight films at Cannes Film Festival. Now the Japanese filmmaker has been tapped to helm the official film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Deadline confirms. The selection was “made by the International Olympic Committee in collaboration with the Organizing Committee of the Games who review proposals from the host nation’s top filmmaking talent. Kawase was chosen after close consultation among Tokyo 2020, Japanese film experts, international film experts, and the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage who guides the production on behalf of the IOC.”
Kawase is the fifth woman to direct an Official Film for the Olympics, following in the footsteps of London 2012’s Caroline Rowland, Beijing 2008’s Gu Jun, Munich 1972’s Mai Zetterling (who helmed a segment of the Film), and Berlin 1936’s Leni Riefenstahl.
“The aim,” writes the source, “is to capture the soul of a specific edition of the Games while also considering the broader social and cultural context.”
“The Olympic Games have a long and glorious history, and with the international sports event returning to Tokyo after 56 years, I’m thinking about the role bestowed on me,” said Kawase. “I now feel that the ‘god of film’ that came to me one day has given me the chance to record this wonderful celebration of sport that connects people, and to leave a legacy for generations to come. I hope to capture ‘time’ and take full advantage of the appeal of documentary films and their ability to freeze those moments into ‘eternity,’ allowing the significance of the Tokyo 2020 Games to be communicated worldwide.”
“The only thing that really inspires me is experiences I actually have. The people I actually meet,” Kawase has explained. “I think everyone has experiences in their life they feel they left undone. They have things they regret. If you focus only on those things, then your life is going to be very sad. We’re alive, and so we’re always headed forwards. Making movies is my way of looking ahead.” She added, “My movies are stories about people who aren’t usually the focus. People who are minorities in society. That’s the approach I follow very passionately.”
The auteur made history when she became the youngest director to receive Cannes’ Camera d’Or in 1997. She won for “Suzaku,” a drama about a family living in rural Japan. Ten years later, she won the Jury Grand Prix for “The Mourning Forest.” “Radiance” and “Sweet Bean” are among her other credits. She debuted her latest offering, Juliette Binoche-starrer “Vision,” at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
