HANAMI
Genre
Coming-of-age and Drama
Running time
96 minutes
Year
2024
Language
Cape Verdean Creole, Japanese, French and English
Subtitle
English and Arabic
Country
Switzerland, Portugal and Cape Verde
Director
Denise Fernandes
Bio
Producer
Eugenia Mumenthaler, David Epiney, Luís Urbano, Sandro Aguilar
Cast
Sanaya Andrade, Daílma Mendes, Alice Da Luz, Nha Nha Rodrigues, João “Galinha” Mendes, Yuta Nakano
Scriptwriter
Denise Fernandes, Telmo Churro
The remote volcanic island of Fogo, off the coast of Cape Verde, is a difficult place to make a living. Like many other young people, Nia chooses to go, leaving her new baby Nana to be raised by her grandmother. Nana is observant and sensitive; when she develops a high fever and is sent to recover with a healer under the volcano, she immediately responds to the magical atmosphere of the island’s interior. It is as if the island itself, along with the network of women who give the film a strong feminine energy, is caring for her. A moving story about longing and belonging, culminating in the older Nana’s quandary: should she stay here forever, or follow her mother into the wider world?
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