Fresh from Cannes, Naomi Kawase’s Radiance is a gentle evocation of loss and acceptance.

Misako writes voiceovers for vision-impaired film viewers, attempting to conjure the complexity of cinematic images through description alone. Presenting her latest work to a panel, she is confronted by Masaya – a renowned, now partially sighted photographer – who condemns her writing as overly subjective. Despite these volatile beginnings, an unlikely relationship begins to flower, with Misako and Masaya drawn together by their love of images and shared experience of loss.

A sensitive depiction of loneliness and disability, Radiance is the latest film by Cannes regular Naomi Kawase (Still the Water, MIFF 2014) and is a drama rich with ideas and sensory stimuli, keenly aware of life’s fragile beauty.

'Kawase is the rare director who portrays disability, illness or old age as normal aspects of existence, not unique tragedies.' – RogerEbert.com