Iwai Shunji is a Japanese film director, filmmaker, screenwriter, and musician born in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Faculty of Education, Yokohama National University in 1987.
He started out in the entertainment industry by directing music videos and television dramas, including the likes of Maria, Lunatic Love, and Fireworks, for which he received the award for Best Newcomer from the Japanese Director's Association.
He eventually moved onto larger things with his short film "Undo" (1994), later followed by the hit "Suwaroteiru" (1996) starring Japanese pop singer, Chara. As his career progressed, he received even more awards, especially for his films "Love Letter" (1995) and "All About Lily Chou-Chou" (2001).
