As part of its Women In Motion program, Kering is pleased to host an exclusive talk with movie director Naomi Kawase, actress Hiromi Nagasaku and actor Arata Iura

Kering is pleased to announce that an exclusive Women In Motion Talk was held with movie director Naomi Kawase, leading casts Hiromi Nagasaku and Arata Iura at the Kering’s new headquarters in Japan. Streamed on the Group’s official website and YouTube channel starting Oct 20th, the Talk will coincide with the official opening of the Kering Building in Tokyo and the release in Japan of Naomi Kawase’s new film, True Mothers, on October 23rd.

 

True Mothers, an adaptation of an award-winning bestseller by novelist Mizuki Tsujimura, tells the story of a couple who underwent years of unsuccessful infertility treatment and who adopt a child from a 14-year-old mother. It’s a powerful human drama about the couple and the teenage mother, a new look at how a family should be and the many dilemmas involved. It is one of the 56 Cannes 2020 films, the official selection of the 73rd Festival de Cannes, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Kering has been a partner of the Festival de Cannes since 2015, and Women In Motion is an integral part of the Festival’s official program. Its Talks are an opportunity for female and male guests to highlight women’s contribution to the cinema industry and the arts in general. In Japan, a Women In Motion Talk was part of the official program of the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival in 2018, featuring 3 talented women: actress Shinobu Terajima, movie director Mika Ninagawa and artist Sputniko!.

 

This Women In Motion Talk was staged at a location that has been a city landmark in Tokyo for more than 15 years. The Kering Building, the new headquarter for Kering in Japan, was designed in 2004 by Pritzker-winning Japanese architect Toyo Ito, with its unique façade resembling the Zelkova trees that line the adjacent Omotesando Avenue.

 

During the Talk facilitated by film journalist Atsuko Tasuta, Naomi Kawase mentioned, “In recent years the number of women in the film and television industry has been increasing, and it seems there are more and more people aspiring to enter this world. But if you look at how many female directors have actually been accepted to the competition.... I remember a female publicist in Cannes who once told me that she took great pride in having women on their stage, which made me realize it was something to be conscious of in the Western world”, indicating the differences between how the situation is perceived overseas and in Japan. Also, Kawase, Nagasaku, and Iura discussed about the roles that women are expected to play by society that is portrayed in True Mothers, and the actors touched upon the differences they feel working with female directors, and also in particular working with Kawase.
 

 

Distribution Details

 

Go live date: October20th 10:00am (CET), 5:00pm (Japan Time)
Channel:Kering Official Website https://www.kering.com/en/group/kering-for-women/women-in-motion/a-tribune-for-women/2020-women-in-motion-talk-in-japan/
 

 

 

About Naomi Kawase

 

 

Naomi Kawase was born in Nara Prefecture. Embracing (1995) and Katatsumori (1997), two independent documentary films which marked the starting point of her cinematic exploration, won the FIPRESCI Prize and Award of Excellence, respectively, at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. With these award-winning films, the young director attracted both national and international attention. At the age of 27, she became the youngest director ever to win the Caméra d'Or (New Director Award) at the Festival de Cannes in 1997 for her first feature film, Suzaku. In 2007, The Mourning Forest won the Grand Prix at the 60th Festival de Cannes. At the 62nd Festival de Cannes in 2009, the director received the Carrosse d'Or (Golden Coach Award) that made her both the first woman and the first Asian winner. At the 66th Festival de Cannes in 2013, she became the first Japanese director to be selected as a member of the main competition jury. In 2015, she became the first Japanese female filmmaker to receive the Chevalier of the French Order of Arts and Letters. Her consistent and unswerving pursuit of reality has gone beyond the realms of documentary and fiction, leading to high acclaim from the film festival circuit worldwide. Her other works include The Mourning Forest (2007), Genpin (2010), Sweet Bean (2015), Radiance (2017), and Vision (2018). She has gained a broad perspective by serving as a jury member at the Cannes and other film festivals around the world. She continues to work on a variety of artistic activities that cross boundaries, such as shooting commercials, being a DJ, writing essays, calligraphy, and photography. In 2010, she launched the Nara International Film Festival in her hometown, Nara city, in Japan. She has focused on supporting the next generation of filmmakers as the executive director of the event and has produced eight films to date. Kawase has been appointed as a general director of the official film for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to be held in 2021.

 

 

 

About Hiromi Nagasaku

 

 

Hiromi Nagasaku was born in Ibaraki Prefecture. She debuted as an actress in the TV drama Hi no Ataru Basho in 1994. Since then, she has been actively involved in motion pictures, TV dramas, and theaters. Nagasaku is a prolific award winner, having been voted Best Supporting Actress at six movie awards , including the 50th Blue Ribbon Awards and the 81st Kinema Jumpo Awards for Best 10 Films for her role in Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! (2007, directed by Daihachi Yoshida), the Best Actress and the Best Supporting Actress at nine film awards, including the 35th Japan Academy Film Prize and the 54th Blue Ribbon Awards for her performance in Wandering Home (2010, directed by Yoichi Higashi) and Rebirth (2011, directed by Izuru Narushima). The performer also won the Best Actress at the 17th Taipei Film Awards for her role in The Furthest End Awaits (2015, directed by Chiang Hsiu-Chiung.) Other major movies to which she contributed include Don't Laugh at My Romance (2008, directed by Nami Iguchi), Mourning Recipe (2013, directed by Yuki Tanada), Solomon's Perjury 1 & 2 (2015, directed by Izuru Narushima), and Till Death Do Us What? (2015, directed by Koji Maeda).

 

 

 

About Arata Iura

 

 

Arata Iura was born in Tokyo. He made his debut as an actor in 1998, playing the leading role of the film After Life, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Since then, he has been active in a wide variety of fields, including movies, TV dramas and narration. Iura received the Best Actor Award at two film competitions; the 22nd Japanese Professional Movie Awards and the 8th Osaka Asian Film Festival for his performance in 11.25 The Day He Chose His Own Fate (2012, directed by Koji Wakamatsu). He also won Best Supporting Actor at the 55th Blue Ribbon Awards for his role in Our Homeland (2012, directed by Yang Yong-Hi). Some of the major films in which the actor has appeared in recent years include The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine (2018, directed by Takahisa Zeze), Dare To Stop Us (2018, directed by Kazuya Shiraishi), Red Snow (2019, directed by Sayaka Kai), Randen (2019, directed by Takuji Suzuki), Amber Light (2019, directed by Hatsuki Yokoo), Dragon Quest : Your Story (2019, directed by Takashi Yamazaki), Miyamoto (2019, directed by Tetsuya Mariko), Stolen Identity 2 (2020, directed by Hideo Nakata), and Wolfwalkers (2020, voice, directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart).

 

 

About Women In Motion

 

 

Kering, a partner of the Festival de Cannes, launched Women In Motion in 2015 to shine a light on women’s contribution to cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. Since then, the program has been expanded to include the worlds of photography, arts and literature. For although creativity is one of the most powerful forces for change, gender inequality in this areas remains flagrant.  Through its Awards, Women In Motion recognizes both inspirational figures and talented young women, while its Talks provide an opportunity for some of the leading names in cinema and arts to share their views on women’s representation in their profession. For the past five years, Women In Motion has been a platform for helping to change mindsets and to providing thought leadership on both the role and the recognition given to women in all areas of the arts.

 

 

About Kering

 

 

A global Luxury group, Kering manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods, Jewelry and Watches: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux, as well as Kering Eyewear. By placing creativity at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to set new limits in terms of their creative expression while crafting tomorrow’s Luxury in a sustainable and responsible way. We capture these beliefs in our signature: “Empowering Imagination”. In 2019, Kering had nearly 38,000 employees and revenue of €15.9 billion.

 

 

For more information
Women In Motion press area
#WomenInMotion #Kering

 

 

Contacts

 

Kering HQ Press

Emilie Gargatte       | + 33 (0)1 45 64 61 20 |    emilie.gargatte@kering.com

Eva Dalla Venezia      |+33 (0)1 45 64 65 06 |     eva.dallavenezia@kering.com

 

Kering Japan Press

Rie Ubukata        |  +81 (0)3 6712 5641 |             rie.ubukata@kering.com
Eri Tamura              |  +81 (0)3 6712 5640  |          eri.tamura@kering.com

 

 

 
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