About to give birth to her own child, Naomi Kawase turns her camera back on to her adoptive mother and great-aunt in this riveting examination of family, motherhood and the female body. An intensely intimate and candid film, Birth/Mother (2006) captures images of her great-aunt’s ageing body while Kawase reflects on her own journey to becoming a mother. The film offers a more complex portrayal of the relationship between the two women than Kawase’s earlier shorts, but the connection between them remains undeniable.

Naomi Kawase will join us after the screening of the film for an extended in-conversation event, hosted by Julian Ross, a programmer at Locarno Film Festival and International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Presented in partnership with Japan Foundation

“Part of Naomi Kawase: In Focus”