Miwa, A Japanese Icon

From acclaimed French director Pascal Alex-Vincent (Give Me Your Hand) comes the extraordinary true story of Japanese star Miwa, whose incredible life has only recently come to the attention of audiences outside Japan.

Beyond her trademark glitter, wig, evening gowns and sarcasm, Miwa Akihiro's career spans over fifty years as one of Japan's top entertainers - selling millions of records and drawing crowds to theatres - but also as an activist (fighting for gay rights among others) and as one of the most accurate critics of 20th-century Japan, a country riddled with contradictions where he remains incredibly popular.

Miwa was born Akihiro Maruyama. As a young singer, Miwa popularized androgyny as a fashion statement, fusing the masculine and the feminine into a signal of a new generation of aesthetics. This evolved into performing as a woman and living off-stage as a man. With glitter, wit, evening gowns, and enchanting storytelling, Miwa looks back over a 50-year career and a fascinating life in music, film and television (Miwa was a friend and lover of author Yukio Mishima). Miwa remains incredibly popular in a country where contradictions permeate life.