HANAMI

Directed by Denise Fernandes

Switzerland, Portugal, Cape Verde | 2024 | 96' |

in Capeverdian creole, English, Japanese, French

On a remote volcanic island – a place everyone wants to leave – Nana has learned to stay.
Her mother Nia, who suffers from a mysterious illness, left soon after her birth. When Nana comes down with a high fever, she is sent to the foot of a volcano for treatment. There, she encounters a world suspended between dreams and reality. Years later, when Nana is a teenager, Nia returns.

Director

Festivals & Awards

Locarno Film Festival 2024 - Cineasti del Presente (Switzerland) - Best Emerging Director Award, First Feature Awards – Special Mention
Vancouver International Film Festival 2024 - Vanguard (Canada)

BFI London Film Festival 2024 - First Feature Competition (UK)

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 Film Festival. Hanami, filmed in Cape Verde, is her feature directorial debut.