Brazilian short film “Amarela” competes for the Palme d’Or at Cannes

The short film “Amarela”, by Japanese-Brazilian director André Hayato Saito, was selected for the short film competition at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, competing for the Palme d’Or in the category. The production, set in São Paulo during the 1998 World Cup final, tells the story of Erika Oguihara (Melissa Uehara), a Japanese-Brazilian teenager who faces identity dilemmas while watching the match.

Amid the euphoria of the game, Erika is faced with violent situations that confront her with her own identity and the social tensions of the time. The work explores themes such as racism, xenophobia and machismo, weaving a sensitive portrait of the experience of a young woman in search of her place in the world.

Part of a trilogy

“Amarela” is the second film in a trilogy by Saito with the production company MyMama Entertainment. The trilogy, which investigates the director’s ancestry with an intimate look, began with “Kokoro to Kokoro” (2022), about the bond between his paternal grandmother and a friend from Japan. The third film, “Golden Wind” (2023) , is centered on his maternal grandmother and explores death and the relationship between generations. Saito is also working on his first feature film, “Yellow Chrysanthemum”, which will be a synthesis of the trilogy.

Competitive selection

The short was selected from among 4,420 works entered in the competition and competes for the Palme d’Or for Short Film with ten other productions. The award will be presented by the jury on May 25, during the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival.

“Amarela” is the fourth Brazilian production confirmed in the 2024 edition of the French festival. In addition to the short, the feature film “Motel Destino”, by Karim Aïnouz, is also competing for the Palme d’Or for best film. Two other Brazilian titles will be shown in parallel exhibitions at the festival: the documentary “A Queda do Céu”, about the Yanomami people, in the Directors’ Fortnight, and the film “Baby”, by Marcelo Caetano, in Critics’ Week.