Naomi Kawase receives the Carrosse d’Or Prize at the Cannes Film Festival Director's Fortnight

by Chris MaGee

In other Cannes news Naomi Kawase received the Carrosse d’Or Prize as part of the festival's Director's Fortnight programme. The 39-year-old director of such critically-lauded films as "Shara" and "Moe no suzaku" was presented with the prize at a ceremony on Thursday night that honoured her entire career as a filmmaker. This isn't the first time Kawase has taken home prizes at the famed film festival. "Moe no Suzaku", which tells the story of a family living in a remote mountain logging town, won the Camera D'Or in 1997, while Kawase's 2007 film "Mogari no Mori (The Mourning Forest)", about the relationship between a acregiver and an elderly man with Alzheimer's Disease, won the Grand Prix at Cannes that year.

The award ceremony on Thursday was accompanied by a screening of a re-edited cut of Kawase's 2000 film "Hotaru (Firefly)". Kawase joins some illustrious company with this win. American indie film icon Jim Jarmusch took home the Carrosse d’Or Prize last year.

Thanks to Japan Zone for the details on this story.