"The Desert of Namibia" Director Yoko Yamanaka x Yumi Kawai: What a fateful encounter between two people created [Director's Interview Vol. 429]

Director Yoko Yamanaka made her own film "Amico" (17) when she was 19 years old. Kawai Yumi watched this film when she was a high school senior and still nobody. Inspired by "Amico", Kawai handed a letter to Director Yamanaka saying "I want to become an actress" and told him "I want to appear in a film someday". This film "The Desert of Namibia" was born from this fateful encounter between the two. And in May 2024, "The Desert of Namibia" was screened at the Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight and was selected to win the International Federation of Film Critics Award, making Kawai the youngest female director ever to do so.

How was the energetic and internationally acclaimed "The Desert of Namibia" created? We spoke to director Yoko Yamanaka and Yumi Kawai, two people who were destined to meet.

Synopsis of "The Desert of Namibia"

The world and life are all boring. 21-year-old Kana (Kawai Yumi) lives every day with feelings she has no outlet for. She switches from the kind but boring Honda (Kan'ichiro) to the confident and stimulating Hayashi (Kaneko Daichi) and starts a new life, but gradually Kana finds herself cornered. Struggling and clashing, will she be able to find her place in the world...?

This time, we've also released a video version of the interview! Please enjoy it too!

Index

• From original works to original projects
• Rehearsals give you freedom on the spot
• What is common to "Amiko"?

From original works to original projects

Q: I heard that the original project, starring Kawai Yumi, was originally in the works but was changed to an original story midway through. Did you use any ideas that were already there?

Yamanaka: No, I didn't. When I first switched to original writing, I was writing something completely different. But I didn't have the motivation to see that project through to the end, so I threw it away (laughs).

Q: You said that you had many discussions with Kawai, but was that during the planning and scriptwriting stage?

Yamanaka: That's right. The idea I had been thinking of on my own was too subtle, so I wanted to ask for Kawai's help. We spoke a few times and he gave me some hints.

Q: Mr. Kawai, have you ever been involved from the planning and scriptwriting stages before?

Kawai: It's rare to meet with a director before the script is ready. Yamanaka-san didn't ask me, "What do you think about this content?" Rather, it was more like we talked about various things around us. I think that was what Yamanaka-san used as material.

"The Desert of Namibia" by Yumi Kawai

Q: How was the discussion itself?

Kawai: It was fun (laughs). I hope my story was helpful.

Yamanaka: I never missed a deadline... (laughs). Everyone was waiting for me, so I think Kawai must have been anxious. But despite that, he was pretty relaxed (laughs).

Kawai: That's right. It would be weird to say that there was no aura of "This is bad..." (laughs). I was optimistic and trusted Yamanaka-san, so I watched the show thinking, "It'll work out somehow."

Yamanaka: Really? I'm glad (laughs). I was thinking to myself, "This is crazy!" I spent about two months meeting and listening to various people, including Kawai-san, and then I wrote it in the last month! That's how fast it went.

Q: After the discussion, did you finish writing it all in one month?

Yamanaka: It sounds good to say I wrote it all in one go, but on the days when I couldn't write, I would talk to someone again... That's how it felt. Even as I was writing alone, I was listening to a lot of different people.

Q: Mr. Kawai, what was your impression when you saw the first draft?

Kawai: I thought it was interesting, and since I had seen the process up to that point, I thought, "Thank you for finishing it!" I was reading it with that feeling of, "I'm so happy you were able to get this far in this time!" (laughs) There may have been some parts that were not yet solidified in the director's mind, but I felt that even with that, the atmosphere was one of enjoyment in the creation process.

Rehearsals give you freedom on the spot