Saito’s ‘Yellow Chrysanthemum’ Seeks Asian Funding in Tokyo

André Hayato Saito is seeking to close the financing gap for his directorial debut, “Yellow Chrysanthemum,” at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market. The event runs concurrently with TIFFCOM, the content market attached to the Tokyo International Film Festival. The project is a co-production involving Brazil, Japan, Germany, and France.

The film is set in São Paulo in July 2014, coinciding with the World Cup hosted by Brazil. The narrative centers on Erika, a 16-year-old third-generation Japanese-Brazilian who feels alienated from her heritage. Her resistance to family traditions stems from an incident when she was seven years old. Her cousin Yam, her closest friend, disappeared during a traditional festival in the Liberdade neighborhood while Erika’s mother watched the children.

The family has maintained a silent stance regarding Yam’s absence for nine years. Erika’s new friendship with Bianca, a Black classmate grieving the recent death of her mother, forces the household to confront the past. Bianca’s open expression of grief contrasts with the Saito family’s reserved nature, disrupting their long-standing dynamic.

Saito, who grew up in a similar household, described the film as a continuation of his work on grief and identity. He noted that silence in his family expressed love and respect while simultaneously hiding pain. He stated, “I vividly remember being a little boy, sitting in the bathroom with my father, when I suddenly asked him where we go after we die. He paused for a moment and answered with a long and profound silence.”

The director previously created a short film titled “Amarela,” which also follows a character named Erika during a World Cup final. That project competed for the short film Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2024. It was also shortlisted for a live-action short Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards and won best live-action short at Brazil’s Grande Otelo Awards. Saito described the feature as part of a trilogy of shorts made with São Paulo-based MyMama Entertainment.

The project has advanced through several development stages. It won the TorinoFilmLab Production Award and was selected for Focus Copro at Cannes. The team plans to film a key sequence during a traditional Japanese Toro Nagashi ceremony in Brazil in November 2026. Producer Mayra Faour Auad, founder of MyMama Entertainment, has more than 20 credits, primarily in international co-productions.

MyMama Entertainment is developing the film with One Two Films, Loaded Films, and Blue Monday. Faour Auad stated that the team aims to connect with producers, distributors, and sales agents in Asia. She added, “Given the film’s Japanese-Brazilian roots, finding an audience in Japan has particular meaning for us.”

Saito is also developing a second feature titled “Little Faults.” That project earned a spot in Turin’s Boost IT Lab in 2026. The story follows an aging Japanese-Brazilian woman living in Japan who commits minor offenses in hopes of being imprisoned to feel cared for.