Hanami is a 2024 drama film co-written and directed by Denise Fernandes in her first feature film. A co-production between Switzerland, Portugal and Cape Verde, it centres on the coming of age of Nana on the island of Fogo in Cape Verde. The film premiered at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, where it won the Best Emerging Director Award, and was later screened at festivals including Vancouver, London, Chicago and Göteborg.Jamie Lang, "Denise Fernandes’ Cape Verde-Set Debut ‘Hanami’ Acquired By MoreThan Films Ahead of Locarno Premiere". Variety, 8 August 2024.
Synopsis The film follows Nana, a young girl left behind on the island of Fogo in Cape Verde when her mother Nia leaves in search of a better life. As Nana grows up, she is eventually reunited with her mother as a teenager.Teresa Vieira, "Review: Hanami". Cineuropa, 15 August 2024.
Cast The cast includes:
Alice da Luz as Nia Dailma Mendes as Nana in childhood Sanaya Andrade as Nana in adolescence
Production Hanami was co-written by Denise Fernandes and Telmo Churro. Fernandes has said that she made Cape Verde and its people the central theme of her first feature film.
Reception
Awards and nominations In 2024, Hanami won awards including the Best Emerging Director Award and a Special Mention in the First Feature category at the Locarno Film Festival, and the Roger Ebert Award in the New Directors Competition at the Chicago International Film Festival.
In 2025, it won the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award at the Göteborg Film Festival and the MAX Award for Best Feature Film in the national competition at the IndieLisboa International Film Festival.
Critical response Teresa Vieira of Cineuropa described the film as “a profoundly moving story of longing and belonging” and praised its sound design and immersive atmosphere.
Festival screenings The film premiered in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente at the 77th Locarno Film Festival. It was subsequently screened in the Vanguard competition at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival,Gail Johnson, "Vancouver International Film Festival announces winners of 2024 juried awards". Stir, 3 October 2024. and in the First Feature competition at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival,Laurence Boyce, "Full programme announced for the BFI London Film Festival". Cineuropa, 5 September 2024. and at the 2024 Chicago International Film Festival. In 2025, it was also shown at festivals including the Göteborg Film Festival, Solothurner Filmtage, and the New Horizons Film Festival in Wrocław.
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