Born in 1948, Somai made his feature directorial debut with Tonda Couple (1980). After his second feature, Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, he directed numerous films including The Catch (1983), Typhoon Club (1985), Luminous Woman (1987), and Wait and See (1998) which won the FIPRESCI prize at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. Somai passed away in 2001.