Denise Fernandes’ Cape Verde-Set Debut ‘Hanami’ Acquired By MoreThan Films Ahead of Locarno Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comJamie Lang MoreThan Films has secured international sales rights to Denise Fernandes‘ feature debut “Hanami,” premiering next Wednesday in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente section of the Locarno Film Festival.
Set on a remote Cape Verde volcanic Island where most people are looking for ways to leave, “Hanami” is the story of Nana. Suffering from a strange illness, the young girl catches a fever and must journey to the foot of a volcano for treatment.
There, she finds a world that blurs the lines between dreams and reality. Years later, when Nana reaches her teens, her mother reappears in her life.
Fernandes was born in Lisbon to parents from Cape Verde and grew up in Switzerland. A filmmaker for over a decade, her breakout came with 2020’s “Nha Mila,” which screened in competition at festivals such as Locarno and Uppsala and was nominated for best short at the Portuguese Film Academy Sophia Awards.
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