Born 1960 in Hiroshima. Suwa began making movies while still a student at Tokyo Zokei University’s School of Design. In 1985, he directed, produced, wrote, and shot the short film Hanasareru Gang, which was entered into the 8th Pia Film Festival. He made his feature film debut in 1997 with 2/Duo, and his unique improvisational style of filmmaking began in earnest. In 1999, his film M/Other won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 52nd Cannes Film Festival, among other awards. In 2017, he released The Lion Sleeps Tonight, which stars legendary French actor Jean-Pierre Léaud. He currently teaches at the Graduate School of Film and New Media at Tokyo University of the Arts.