IN COMPETITION – BEST FICTION FILM
HANAMI (dir. Denise Fernandes, 2024)
Fri, Feb 20 · 6:30 PM · The Main Cinema (Screening + Virtual Q&A)
Switzerland / Portugal / Cape Verde | Cape Verdean Creole, Japanese, French, English | Fiction (coming-of-age / family drama) — 96 min
Attendance: Director attending virtually
Selected Awards: Locarno Film Festival (Winner: Best Emerging Director; Special Mention: First Feature)
Trailer: Watch trailer
On a remote volcanic island where everyone dreams of leaving, Nana learns to stay. When she falls ill, she is sent to the foot of a volcano for treatment, entering a world suspended between dreams and reality. Years later, as Nana reaches adolescence, her mother—who left shortly after Nana’s birth—returns, bringing the past with her. Filmed in Cape Verde, Hanami is a luminous story of departure and return, longing and belonging.
Director: Denise Fernandes (b. 1990) was born in Lisbon to Cape Verdean parents and grew up in Switzerland. Her short film Nha Mila (2020) premiered at Locarno and screened internationally. Hanami is her feature debut.
