São Paulo Grief Drama Seeks Asian Partners at Tokyo Market

A 16-year-old girl named Erika sits at the center of “Yellow Chrysanthemum,” a feature film currently seeking final funding in Tokyo. The movie is a co-production between Brazil, Japan, Germany, and France. It is now in pre-production after years of development.

The story takes place in São Paulo during July 2014, while the World Cup was being staged in Brazil. Erika is a third-generation Japanese-Brazilian who feels like an outsider. She rejects her family’s cultural roots because of a silence that has defined her home life since she was seven years old. Her cousin Yam disappeared during a traditional festival in the Liberdade neighborhood. Her mother was watching the children at the time. The family has not spoken about the event since.

In the film, Erika befriends Bianca, a Black classmate who is mourning the recent death of her mother. Bianca expresses her grief openly. This contrast forces Erika’s family to confront the absence of Yam. The narrative explores how silence can function as both a sign of respect and a way to hide pain.

André Hayato Saito, who directs the film, grew up in a Japanese-Brazilian household. He described his feature as a continuation of his short films, which focus on grief and identity. Saito noted that he remembers asking his father where people go after they die. His father answered with a long silence. Saito hopes audiences will recognize similar unspoken dynamics in their own families.

The project has gained recognition in European film markets. It won the TorinoFilmLab Production Award. It was also selected for Focus Copro at Cannes. The film builds on Saito’s earlier short, “Amarela,” which featured a similar character and setting. That short competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2024. It was shortlisted for the live-action short Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards. It also won best live-action short at Brazil’s Grande Otelo Awards.

Producer Mayra Faour Auad is leading the effort in Tokyo. She founded MyMama Entertainment, which is developing the film with One Two Films, Loaded Films, and Blue Monday. Faour Auad has more than 20 credits, most of which are international co-productions. The team plans to film a key sequence during a traditional Toro Nagashi ceremony in Brazil in November 2026.

The team is using the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market to close the financing gap. They are meeting with producers, distributors, and sales agents. The goal is to find partners who can carry the film to audiences across Asia. Faour Auad stated that finding an audience in Japan has particular meaning because of the film’s Japanese-Brazilian roots. The market runs as part of TIFFCOM, the content market attached to the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Saito is also developing a second feature called “Little Faults.” It earned a spot in Turin’s Boost IT Lab. The story follows an aging Japanese-Brazilian woman living in Japan. She begins committing minor offenses in the hope of being sent to prison. She believes she will receive care and feel she belongs there.