Grief and Silence Define New Feature at Tokyo Market

A feature film about a teenager suppressing family trauma in 2014 São Paulo is seeking investment at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market. The project, titled 'Yellow Chrysanthemum,' marks the first feature-length work by Japanese-Brazilian director André Hayato Saito. It joins other titles at the event attached to the Tokyo International Film Festival.

The story follows Erika, a 16-year-old third-generation Japanese-Brazilian who feels like an outsider in her native country. Set during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the film explores Erika's rejection of her family heritage. This resistance stems from the disappearance of her cousin and closest friend, Yam, when Erika was seven years old. The family has maintained a guilty silence about the incident since a traditional festival in the Liberdade neighborhood.

Saito drew on his own upbringing in a Japanese-Brazilian household to shape the narrative. He noted that silence in such families can express love and respect while simultaneously hiding pain. His previous short films have dealt with grief, identity, and life between two cultures. He described the new feature as a continuation of that thematic work.

The protagonist's emotional state is challenged by her friendship with Bianca, a Black classmate mourning the recent death of her mother. Bianca openly expresses her grief, forcing Erika's family to confront the absence of Yam. Saito stated that he does not want to offer easy answers or a conventional sense of closure. He hopes audiences from various cultural backgrounds will recognize their own unspoken family dynamics in Erika's journey.

The project is a co-production between Brazil, Japan, Germany, and France. It is currently in pre-production after several years of development. The team won the TorinoFilmLab Production Award and was selected for Focus Copro at Cannes. They plan to film a key sequence during a traditional Japanese Toro Nagashi ceremony in Brazil this November.

Producer Mayra Faour Auad, founder of MyMama Entertainment, is leading the project with One Two Films, Loaded Films, and Blue Monday. Faour Auad has more than 20 production credits, primarily in international co-productions. She produced the short film 'Amarela,' which won the Palme d'Or shortlist at Cannes in 2024 and the best live-action short at Brazil's Grande Otelo Awards.

In Tokyo, the team aims to close the financing gap and connect with distributors in Asia. Faour Auad said that finding an audience in Japan has particular meaning given the film's roots. Saito is also developing his second feature, 'Little Faults,' which follows an aging Japanese-Brazilian woman in Japan who commits minor offenses hoping to be cared for in prison.