—Naomi Kawase Naomi Kawase (b. 1969–) is regarded by many as Japan’s leading female filmmaker, winning the Cannes Camera d’Or in 1997 for her debut feature length film Suzaku, the Cannes Grand Jury Prize for her second feature Shara in 2003, the Cannes Grand Prix in 2007 for her third feature Mogari no mori (The Mourning Forest), and the Carrosse d’Or prize in 2009 for lifetime achievement.2While some critics maintain that Kawase tends to shy away from the media spotlight, it is clear that she is extremely aware of her public image as well as the conscious construction of her persona within national and international discourses of Japanese cinema.