Nobuhiro Suwa
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese film director
working in Japan and France. His directorial works and screenplay
s often make use of improvisation
techniques. Currently, Suwa is the President of Tokyo Zokei University
.
), Suwa studied at Tokyo Zokei University, under the tutorship of Nobuhiro Kawanaka. While at the college, he began working producing independent film
s, of which Hanasareru Gang was chosen for the Pia Film Festival. After graduating from Tokyo Zokei, Suwa began directing television
documentary film
s, and worked with directors such as Sōgo Ishii
and Masashi Yamamoto
.
In 1996, his feature film directorial debut, was released. Suwa's second film, M/Other, was released soon after in 1999, winning the prestigious FIPRESCI Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
and being the subject of several other awards and critical acclaim, both in Japan and internationally. M/Other also won the award for best screenplay at the 50th Mainichi Film Awards. His assistant director in the film was Miwa Nishikawa
.
Suwa's third feature film, H Story
(starring Kō Machida), was released in March 2000. It presents itself as an autobiographical documentary on an attempt to remake
Alain Resnais
' Hiroshima Mon Amour
, and had been noted as an audacious attempt at a Nouvelle Vague portrayal of his hometown, Hiroshima. The film is bilingual French-Japanese. Also during the same year, he guest-appeared in and co-created the Sōgo Ishii
-directed samurai
epic
Gojoe Reisenki: GOJEI.
In 2005, he directed and wrote , which featured a French
cast
and crew and is entirely in French. The film won the Special Prize of the Jury Award and the C.I.C.A.E. Award at the 58th Locarno Film Festival.
Later, in 2006, Suwa participated in the international omnibus
film Paris, je t'aime
. He directed and wrote the segment representing the IIe arrondissement
, filmed at Place des Victoires. Paris, je t'aime was the opening film of the Un Certain Regard
selection at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
.
In 2009, Suwa directed jointly with Hippolyte Girardot
Yuki & Nina, another French-Japanese bilingual movie which was shot in both France and Japan.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
working in Japan and France. His directorial works and screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s often make use of improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
techniques. Currently, Suwa is the President of Tokyo Zokei University
Tokyo Zokei University
is a private university in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1966 by Japanese female art educator, fashion designer and design journalist, Yoko Kuwasawa . It is a four-year art college offering both bachelor's and master's degrees in studio arts....
.
Biography
Having graduated from Hiroshima Prefectural Hatsukaichi High School (located in Hatsukaichi, HiroshimaHatsukaichi, Hiroshima
is a city of some 120,000 people located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a market traditionally held on the 20th of each month with hatsuka meaning "20th day" and ichi translating to "market"...
), Suwa studied at Tokyo Zokei University, under the tutorship of Nobuhiro Kawanaka. While at the college, he began working producing independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
s, of which Hanasareru Gang was chosen for the Pia Film Festival. After graduating from Tokyo Zokei, Suwa began directing television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s, and worked with directors such as Sōgo Ishii
Sogo Ishii
', formerly is a Japanese filmmaker known for his striking visuals and sometimes outlandish subject matter.Ishii was born in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is a graduate of Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka High School and Nihon University College of Art....
and Masashi Yamamoto
Masashi Yamamoto
is a Japanese film director.-Career:Born in Ōita Prefecture, Yamamoto attended Meiji University but left early to concentrate on making independent 8mm films. His Carnival in the Night screened at the 1983 Berlin Film Festival and Robinson's Garden was given the Zitty Award at 1987 edition of the...
.
In 1996, his feature film directorial debut, was released. Suwa's second film, M/Other, was released soon after in 1999, winning the prestigious FIPRESCI Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
1999 Cannes Film Festival
The 52nd Cannes Film Festival was held on May 12-23, 1999. The Palme d'Or went to the French-Belgian film Rosetta by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.-Jury:* David Cronenberg * André Téchiné * Barbara Hendricks...
and being the subject of several other awards and critical acclaim, both in Japan and internationally. M/Other also won the award for best screenplay at the 50th Mainichi Film Awards. His assistant director in the film was Miwa Nishikawa
Miwa Nishikawa
is a Japanese director.Hirokazu Koreeda produced her feature film Wild Berries after she worked as an assistant director on his Distance...
.
Suwa's third feature film, H Story
H Story
H Story is a 2001 Japanese drama film directed by Nobuhiro Suwa. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival...
(starring Kō Machida), was released in March 2000. It presents itself as an autobiographical documentary on an attempt to remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais is a French film director whose career has extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included Nuit et Brouillard , an influential documentary about the Nazi concentration camps.He began...
' Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima mon amour is an acclaimed 1959 drama film directed by French film director Alain Resnais, with a screenplay by Marguerite Duras. It is the documentation of an intensely personal conversation between a French-Japanese couple about memory and forgetfulness...
, and had been noted as an audacious attempt at a Nouvelle Vague portrayal of his hometown, Hiroshima. The film is bilingual French-Japanese. Also during the same year, he guest-appeared in and co-created the Sōgo Ishii
Sogo Ishii
', formerly is a Japanese filmmaker known for his striking visuals and sometimes outlandish subject matter.Ishii was born in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is a graduate of Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka High School and Nihon University College of Art....
-directed samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
epic
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
Gojoe Reisenki: GOJEI.
In 2005, he directed and wrote , which featured a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
cast
Cast member
A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
and crew and is entirely in French. The film won the Special Prize of the Jury Award and the C.I.C.A.E. Award at the 58th Locarno Film Festival.
Later, in 2006, Suwa participated in the international omnibus
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
film Paris, je t'aime
Paris, je t'aime
Paris, Je t'aime is a 2006 anthology film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements...
. He directed and wrote the segment representing the IIe arrondissement
IIe arrondissement
The 2nd arrondissement is one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. Located on the right bank of the River Seine, the 2nd arrondissement, together with the adjacent 8th and 9th arrondissements, hosts an important business district, centred on the Paris Opéra, which houses...
, filmed at Place des Victoires. Paris, je t'aime was the opening film of the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
selection at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
2006 Cannes Film Festival
The 2006 Cannes Film Festival ran from May 17, 2006 to May 28, 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the jury....
.
In 2009, Suwa directed jointly with Hippolyte Girardot
Hippolyte Girardot
Hippolyte Girardot is a French actor.He is not related to the actress Annie Girardot.-Selected filmography:* 1973: La Femme de Jean, directed by Yannick Bellon, Rémi...
Yuki & Nina, another French-Japanese bilingual movie which was shot in both France and Japan.
Directorial works
- Santa ga machi ni yatte kuru (16mm) (1982)
- Hanasareru GANG (8mm) (1995)
- 2/Duo (1997)
- M/Other (1999)
- H StoryH StoryH Story is a 2001 Japanese drama film directed by Nobuhiro Suwa. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival...
( 2001) - After war (Segment: "A letter from Hiroshima") (2002)
- Un couple parfait (2005)
- Paris je t'aime (segment: Place des Victoires) (2006)
- Yuki & Nina (co-directed with Hippolyte GirardotHippolyte GirardotHippolyte Girardot is a French actor.He is not related to the actress Annie Girardot.-Selected filmography:* 1973: La Femme de Jean, directed by Yannick Bellon, Rémi...
) (2009)
Television documentaries
- Abe Kobo ga sagashiateta jidai (1994)
- Hollywood wo Kaketa Kaiyū-itan no hito Kamiyama Sojin (1995; Higashinippon BroadcastingHigashinippon Broadcasting, also known as KHB, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the ANN. Their headquarters are located in Miyagi Prefecture.-History:*1975 October 1 It was set up fourth broadcasting station of Miyagi Prefecture....
)
External links
- Extensive interview of Suwa about his career before M/Other (in French)
- For a study of French language in Suwa's movies, see A. D'Hautcourt, « Nobuhiro Suwa et le(s) français », Journal of Inquiry and Research 92, 2010, p. 129-139 (in French)