Introducing The Hot Seat.
Every month we will feature a filmmaker who is redefining West Coast filmmaking. It's time we start shining that ever elusive spotlight onto those in our community who are at the forefront of the BC Indie Revolution.
Each featured filmmaker will answer the same 10 questions, giving insight into their minds, inspirations, aspirations and dreams. The first five questions are rapid fire. Quick. Juicy. Intriguing. The last 5 are more profound, insightful, all about filmmaking.
Alrighty, enough of our yammering, let's kick this series off with a beloved filmmaker we all know and admire - Mayumi Yoshida.
Born in Japan, raised in three continents, Mayumi Yoshida is a Director, Actor, Writer and Producer based in Vancouver, BC. She’s an alumna of Women In the Director’s Chair, WBD Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program (2021) and Directors Program (2023), TIFF Writer’s Studio, and TIFF Netflix Talent Accelerator Fellowship. .
Her directorial debut short film AKASHI which she wrote and acted in as well, won Outstanding Writer out of 4500 films at NBCUniversal Short Film Festival, Best Female Director at Vancouver Short Film Festival and many more awards internationally. In 2019, Mayumi received the Newcomer Award at Vancouver Women in Film Festival’s Spotlight awards for her success in multiple fields. The latest Music Video she directed, Different Than Before by Amanda Sum, starring Tzi Ma (Mulan) earned a Vimeo Staffpick, Jury Award at SXSW Music Video Competition, and screened at Oscar / BAFTA qualifying film festivals. In 2023 it also got nominated for Music Video of the Year at the JUNO Awards. Mayumi recently worked on the A24/AppleTV+ series SUNNY starring Rashida Jones and Hidetoshi Nishijima as an Associate Producer. She was also chosen to be part of Beyond Japan Filmmakers Directing Program (ran by JETRO and CAPE) held in LA, receiving mentorship by Cannes Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Koreeda.
Her first feature AKASHI, which was shot in Japan/Canada is set to premiere in 2025.
Photo by Kristine Cofsky
1. What is the first film you can remember having an effect on you?
Hook, Titanic, Stand By Me, Rebel without a Cause. I can’t pick one!
2. If you could work with one filmmaker, dead or alive, who would it be?
Steven Spielberg
3. If you could remake any film, what would it be and what would you change?
I would like to do a Battle Royale remake.
4. What is your biggest passion outside of being a filmmaker?
BTS, Seventeen and Disneyland
5. What are you working on now?
BTS Akashi, Photo by Peter Planta
Just finished my first feature AKASHI, starting to develop other projects, series and features.
6. Creatively, what inspires you to continue your journey in filmmaking?
People. It could be a random person I met that inspires me to write a character based on them. It could be a memory with a special person from the past. I’m also driven when there’s a clear connection to community. I love being able to contribute to the community, for the culture.
7. Who are your frequent collaborators and what do they bring to your projects?
I almost always work with my life and work partner Nach Dudsdeemaytha. Not only do we share a similar story sense, but we also compliment each other in the creative process. He’s much more organized and skilled in technical film related stuff (and an excellent producer and editor), but I’m a social butterfly that keeps expanding my own community, so I’m often able to move projects forward with my people skills. But Nach is crucial in everything I do, he inspires me and grounds me.
8. What is the most rewarding part about being a BC filmmaker? What is the most challenging?
Rewarding part is, the support you get in the community is so huge. Not only emotional support, but actual gear and financial support sometimes. I know it’s never enough, and it is worse than 8 years ago, but seeing the reality of other countries makes me appreciate the Vancouver indie film scene.
Challenge is, we’re second class citizens in our own city if we’re working on non-indie gigs. We’re so talented and experienced, but we can’t move up the ladder to “the top” because we’re a service town. So it creates this illusion that you have to relocate to “make it”, and we keep losing many accomplished filmmakers/talents to LA/Toronto/NY.
You technically could work from anywhere nowadays, but the decision makers are not here in Van. Which leads to this impression that living in Van is “less than” when it’s absolutely not true. I know insanely talented world-class filmmakers here. But Vancouver also doesn’t acknowledge how talented we are either. I’m so proud of my community here.
We’re here KILLIN’ it.
9. As a filmmaker, how do you measure success?
BTS Different Than Before, 2022
My close peers succeeding is my success. I love the feeling of growing and getting better and stronger together. Connect laterally, not horizontally. It’s the best feeling when you’re at a place where you feel like you’ve achieved something, and your close friends are there with you. Success is actually quite lonely, so I’d rather share that experience with people I love.
I also love Ava’s quote.
“If your dream is only about you, it’s too small.”
It’s got to be bigger than me.
10. Who’s another BC filmmaker you’d like to spotlight?
I could name my film family which is Nach Dudsdeemaytha, Jerome Yoo and Lawrence Le Lam, but I won’t lol.
They’ll do this regardless of me spotlighting them haha.
I absolutely adore the power duo and another film fam, that is Alex Farah and Farhad Ghaderi. But they also are so accomplished that I’m sure everyone adores them.
So I wanna spotlight my little brother and rising star SHAKIL JESSA.
SHAK inspires me with his fuck it energy. He takes it seriously but not too seriously. That balance is so important and he does it so well. Watch out for this one, I know he’s gonna be my boss one day and I’ll be interviewing as a director on his show.
Thank you Mayumi! Can't wait to see Akashi. We'll be first in line.
Stay tuned for next month's spotlight - quite possibly Shakil Jessa!
Different Then Before, Photo by Belen Garcia