20/08/2024 - The Swiss-Cape Verdean director unpicks her coming-of-age story set on the shores of Cape Verde and explains how the landscape inspired her

(© Massimo Piccoli/Locarno Film Festival/Ti-Press)

The first feature-length film by Swiss-Cape Verdean director Denise Fernandes, Hanami [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Denise Fernandes
film profile], premiered in the Cineasti del Presente section of this year's Locarno Film Festival, where it was rewarded with the Best Emerging Director Award (see the news). We asked the helmer about her main protagonist, the production conditions and the challenges of making a first film.

Cineuropa: How much of yourself found its way into the script?
Denise Fernandes: My approach to writing is intuitive, but it also comes very much from personal reflections. I think it's inevitable that, in some way, the script contains parts of my inner world.

What were the most important aspects of Nia’s character through the years?
Sometimes, as humans, we carry a pain around within us that we don't understand and which we spend a lifetime processing. Nia's character carries a burden that she may have to continually overcome, perhaps, for her entire life. It was important for me to show the evolution of the character through the years but not to solve her life [problems] completely.

How did you find the actress who plays Nia as an adult?
In 2020, Alice da Luz, who is French-Cape Verdean, expressed her support several times on her social-media accounts for my [2020] short film Nha Mila. I always thanked her, having no idea that Alice, who is very discreet, was in fact an actress. Two years later, in 2022, I discovered that she was the co-star in the film Mali Twist [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. A year later, I invited her to audition for Hanami. She was the only person I met for the role of Nia, which she eventually got. Almost by magic, she corresponded to what I was looking for.

Did you have the support of the community in situ?
Absolutely, and this was one of the best parts of making this film. It felt like the whole island came together to help us make Hanami happen.

What were the biggest challenges of shooting on location?
There is no real film industry in Cape Verde, so all of the filming material had to be rented from Europe and sent to this small island by boat and plane. I have to give props to my amazing production team who made that happen in a seamless way. Another hardship was the heat: we filmed in a very hot, dry and often windy climate.

How did the landscape inspire you in terms of developing the aesthetic concept?
The location was like a canvas that, at the writing stage, allowed me to explore creativity unhindered. The island of Fogo is so unique; Mother Nature there can be harsh but also quite tender. All of the colours just pop. The final aesthetic is a mix between some very detailed, research-based work I did with my DoP, Alana Mejía González, and the art director, Mathé, plus some spontaneous elements offered up by the island itself.

There is a Japanese researcher who comes into the picture. What did you want to convey with this character?
The character of Kenjiro brings yet more amazement into this wonder-driven universe. He also embodies my wish to bring together worlds that seem so far apart, but which actually have so much in common.

What does the title of the film mean?
Hanami is a Japanese word that refers to the act of contemplating the cherry blossom, which falls to the ground like rain. The title of the film is kind of an oxymoron, since Cape Verde experiences recurrent droughts.

This is your first feature-length film. What was your experience of making the leap from shorts to a feature?
I had to use all of my knowledge and my resources, as both a person and a director, to make this film – right down to the very last drop! It was a big challenge for me. I often say that a short film can be held in one hand, while with a feature, it’s not really possible. You need to master many skills while never losing sight of the essence of the story.

What is the message that you would like to convey to the audience?
I am not fond of the idea of having a specific message for the audience. My favourite part when showing a movie of mine is when the audience can make it theirs, without me imposing a specific reading of it.