Japanese Literary Awards

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Miwa Nishikawa

にしかわ みわ

Nishikawa Miwa

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1974-07-08 （Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
film director, screenwriter, novelist
Active Years
2002-
Affiliations
Bunbuku (film production group)
Influenced By
Hirokazu Kore-eda, Atsuhiko Suwa
Nominations
Shortlisted for the 20th Mishima Yukio Prize (novelization of 'Yureru'), Shortlisted for the 141st Naoki Prize ('Kino no Kamisama'), Shortlisted for the 28th Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize ('The Long Excuse'), Shortlisted for the 153rd Naoki Prize ('The Long Excuse')

Education

Notre Dame Seishin Junior and Senior High School
Country: Japan
Attended a Catholic junior and senior high school (Notre Dame Seishin).
Waseda University, Faculty of Letters
Faculty of Letters (Arts and Humanities I) / Art History
Country: Japan
Graduation thesis: 'Comparative study of hell paintings (East and West)'.

Awards

Best Screenplay
2010
Work: Dear Doctor
Organization: Japan Academy Prize Association
Result: Winner
Best Director
2007
Work: Yureru
Organization: Blue Ribbon Awards
Result: Winner
Best Director
2010
Work: Dear Doctor
Organization: Blue Ribbon Awards
Result: Winner
Best Director
2022
Work: A Wonderful World
Organization: Blue Ribbon Awards
Result: Winner
Best Director
2007
Work: Yureru
Organization: Japan Film Professional Awards
Result: Winner
New Director Award
2004
Work: Hebi Ichigo
Organization: Japan Film Professional Awards
Result: Winner
Best Director
2006
Work: Yureru
Organization: Takasaki Film Festival
Result: Winner
Best Director
2013
Work: Dreams for Sale (Yume uru futari)
Organization: Takasaki Film Festival
Result: Winner
Japan Film Award (Mainichi)
2006
Work: Yureru
Organization: Mainichi Film Concours
Result: Winner
Best Director
2016
Work: The Long Excuse
Organization: Mainichi Film Concours
Result: Winner
Best One
2010
Work: Dear Doctor
Organization: Kinema Junpo
Result: Winner
Screenplay Award
2007
Work: Yureru
Organization: Kinema Junpo
Result: Winner
Screenplay Award
2010
Work: Dear Doctor
Organization: Kinema Junpo
Result: Winner
Play/Scenario Award (Yomiuri Literature Prize)
2007
Work: Yureru (screenplay)
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun / Yomiuri Literature Prize
Result: Winner
Newcomer Award of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Arts Encouragement)
2009
Work: Dear Doctor
Organization: Arts Encouragement Prize
Result: Winner
Best Film
2007
Work: Yureru
Organization: Yokohama Film Festival
Result: Winner
Best Film
2009
Work: Dear Doctor
Organization: Nikkan Sports Film Award
Result: Winner
Best Director
2009
Work: Dear Doctor
Organization: Hochi Film Awards
Result: Winner
Screenplay Award
2017
Work: The Long Excuse
Organization: Japan Film Critics Award
Result: Winner
Special Female Director Award
2007
Work: Yureru
Organization: Japan Film Critics Award
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hebi Ichigo

2002 Film (black comedy)

Her directorial debut based on her own original screenplay. A black comedy that cynically depicts the breakdown of a typical Japanese family.

family breakdownblack humordreams as creative source

Female (short: 'The Heel of the Goddess')

2005 Omnibus film (short segment)

A segment in the omnibus film adapting a short story by Asa Nonami; Nishikawa wrote and directed the segment 'The Heel of the Goddess'.

female perspectivesshort-form storytelling

Yureru

2006 Drama

A feature based on an original screenplay exploring friendship, family, guilt and memory. Officially screened in Cannes' Directors' Fortnight and became a long-running hit in Japan.

friendshipguilt and memoryfamily conflict
Adaptations
  • [Novel (novelization)] Yureru (novelization) (2006)

Yume Juya (Episode 9)

2007 Omnibus film (based on Natsume Sōseki)

Directed and wrote the ninth episode of an omnibus film adapting short pieces by Natsume Sōseki.

re-interpretation of classic literaturedream and fantasy

Dear Doctor

2009 Drama (medical / rural)

An original screenplay feature about rural medical care and interpersonal relationships. Praised for its social perspective and humanism, it won numerous film awards.

rural medical caremoral ambiguitycommunity

Dreams for Sale (Yume uru futari)

2012 Drama

An original screenplay feature that examines dreams, reality, commerce and relationships within a married couple.

marital relationshipsdreams vs. realityethics of commerce

The Long Excuse

2016 Drama

Adapted by the author-director from her own novel. A human drama about loss, atonement and recovery.

lossatonementrecovery
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Long Excuse (film) / 西川美和 (2016)

A Wonderful World

2021 Drama

A film adapted from Ryuzo Saki's original (Shimbanchō). A weighty human drama about identity and social prejudice.

identitysocietal prejudiceatonement and forgiveness

Bibliography

  • Yureru (novelization, Poplar, 2006)
  • Kino no Kamisama (short stories, Poplar, 2009)
  • Sono Hi Tokyo-eki 5:25 Departure (Shinchosha, 2012)
  • The Long Excuse (Bungeishunju, 2015)
  • Masterpieces Are Always Ambiguous (Kodansha, 2008)
  • About X Related to Film (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha, 2013)
  • Tooki ni arite (Bungeishunju, 2018)

Adaptations

  • The Long Excuse (novel → film, 2016)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
subtle psychological characterizationrestrained narrative tonerealist depiction of characters
Recurring Motifs
dreamsfamily breakdownguilt and atonementcontrast between countryside and city

Legacy

One of contemporary Japan's notable female filmmakers. Praised for a socially engaged humanist perspective, she has won many domestic awards and is recognized for creative work across film and literature.

Archives

  • National Diet Library of Japan (catalogue/archival holdings)

In Popular Culture

  • Publicly known for enthusiastic support of the Hiroshima Carp baseball team (hometown ties).

Quotes

  • The wide sky and riverbanks of the Ota River near my parents' home are my original landscape.
    Source: Interview (AERA, etc.) (2008)
  • When writing a screenplay, the best state is to be able to think about it 24 hours a day — even in sleep you're still seeing the dream.
    Source: Interview (2008)

Trivia

  • 'Hebi Ichigo' and 'Yureru' were both inspired by dreams the director herself had.
  • Although as a child she initially sided with her mother's dislike of the Hiroshima Carp, she later became an enthusiastic Carp fan.
  • Her university thesis was titled 'Comparative Study of Hell Paintings (East and West)'.