International Premiere
Set on a remote volcanic island in Cape Verde, this mesmerizing feature debut traces three formative stages in a young woman’s life, from birth to young adulthood. We follow Hanami as she comes into her own under the care and guidance of a community of women who surround her in the absence of her mother.
Denise Fernandes reveals a sublime visual sensibility as she explores the perimeters of the mother-daughter bond with an exquisitely textured touch, peppered with moments of magical realism. She interrogates a sense of belonging through a distinctive lens, portraying the two women as counterparts of the same root; where one is pushed out by the island, the other learns to become one with the land and its ways. This is a nuanced, lyrical piece of filmmaking that observes its own storytelling tides.
Best Emerging Director Award, Locarno 2024
Presented by
Media Partner
Sanaya Andrade, Daílma Mendes, Alice da Luz, Nha Nha Rodrigues, João Galinha, Yuta Nakano
Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde
2024
In Cape Verdean Creole, Japanese, French and English with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Eugenia Mumenthaler, David Epiney, Luís Urbano, Sandro Aguilar
Screenwriter
Denise Fernandes, Telmo Churro
Cinematography
Alana Mejía Gonzalez
Editor
Selin Dettwiler
Production Design
Mathé
Original Music
Rahel Zimmermann
Denise Fernandes
Denise Fernandes (1990) was born in Lisbon to Cape Verdean parents and grew up in Switzerland. Her latest short film, Nha Mila (2020), premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in the Pardi di Domani section. Nha Mila was a European Film Awards candidate and has been screened at over 40 international film festivals. It was nominated as Best National Short Film at the Sophia Awards 2021 and invited by MoMa and Lincoln Center in New York for the New Directors/New Films Festival. Hanami, filmed in Cape Verde, is her feature directorial debut.
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
Shadow of a Doubt
In our latest film studies series, FRAMEWORK, Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock across four monochrome masterworks. This week: smalltown US thriller Shadow of a Doubt (1943), one of the director's personal favourites.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
NAZA
NAZA is a codeword euphemistically used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians it expects will be killed in an airstrike. This chilling documentary exposes the policy and process of state-sanctioned mass killings.
The Best Years of Our Lives
One of the finest films to come out of WWII, The Best Years of Our Lives sympathetically conveys the difficulties returning veterans faced in readjusting to life at home. It won 7 of the top Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director and Actor.
Ray Gunn (Special Advance Screening with Brad Bird)
In an alternate future as seen from 1939, a private eye (Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star (Scarlett Johansson). Followed by a moderated discussion with director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille).