Naomi Kawase
© AFP Valery HacheCANNES, France (AFP) - Director Naomi Kawase was in tears as she accepted the prize for her film, "Mogari No Mori" in Japanese, which offered a gentle but powerful look at people haunted by tragic loss.
Kawase, who will turn 38 on Wednesday, said she had aimed to make a film that captured life's trials and sources of inspiration.
"In life there are many difficulties, many things that make you suffer and hesitate along the way," she said.
"At such moments, one finds strength not in money, cars or clothing but in something intangible... people who came before us and who give us their strength. When you find this support you can continue to move ahead alone."
The film tells the story of Shigeki, a mysterious resident at a retirement home in the mountains outside Nara City in western Japan who befriends a caregiver at the facility, Machiko.
Shigeki, portrayed masterfully by Shigeki Uda, is grieving for his wife who died long before and returns in joyful flashbacks that both delight and confuse the elderly man.
Machiko, who is filled with her own pain over the death of a child, takes to Shigeki and offers to take him on a drive through the lush countryside stretching out beyond the facility's garden.
When their car careens into a ditch, Shigeki bolts into a dense forest and Machiko, charged with ensuring his safety, runs after him.
After two days of wandering, they come to a quiet clearing where they find Shigeki's wife's tomb, marked by a stake in the ground.
Machiko discovers Shigeki has been writing love letters to his wife for three decades.
By helping him make the journey to say a final farewell to his wife, the young woman finds a peace of her own in one of the most tender scenes of the festival.
"The Mourning Forest" was one of 22 competition films screened at the 60th Cannes.
©AFP