Graduated from Yokohama National University in 1987, Yokohama National University has been adhering to the "practicality" of connecting with society, the "advanced nature" of daring to try, the "openness" of opening doors to society, and the spirit of actively maintaining the "internationality" of overseas exchanges, and has made unremitting efforts to occupy an important position in global academic research and education in the 21st century, and Shunji Iwai's works have also been influenced by it.
In 1993, Shunji Iwai filmed the children's tv short "Fireworks" for Fuji Television's "IF..." series, and the Japan Film Directors Association made an exception to name him the best newcomer film director of the year, which was his first non-film director award.
In 1994, he won the NETPAC Prize at the Berlin Film Festival for the television film "The Bondage of Love", which tells about alienation in modern society through a special mental illness.
In 1995, at the age of 32, Shunji Iwai released his film debut "Love Letters", which starred Miho Nakayama, Yuji Toyokawa and Takashi Kashiwara, and Shunji Iwai won the Newcomer Award at the 8th Nikkan Sports Film Awards, the Director Award at the 20th Hochi Film Awards and the Director Award at the 21st Osaka Film Festival.
In 1996, he filmed the short film "Dream Traveler" reflecting the mentally ill, which showed the cruelty of reality and the fragility of life through the portrayal of three mentally ill patients, and won the Journalist Jury Award at the Berlin Film Festival. In the same year, he put his second novel "Swallowtail Butterfly" on the screen.
Shunji Iwai is known as a "mirror writer", and he can often find the essence of life in the subtleties. Shunji Iwai's indispensable film elements: subtle beauty, female protagonists, imperfections.
![Shunji Iwai: The Boy and the Devil, "Love Letters" in the Pure White World[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)