A Dream for My Daughter [Director/Mauricio Osaki]

Synopsis

Inspired by the tragic loss of Southeast Asians smuggled inside a shipping container in Europe, “A Dream for My Daughter” unfolds in Cambodia. It follows Pheak, a crab catcher, reeling from his daughter’s death abroad.  Amidst his grief and the challenges of repatriating her body, an encounter with her spirit in a mangrove compels him to confront his sorrow and find closure.

Director’s Statement

Akira Kurosawa has profoundly influenced my work as a filmmaker, mastering the art of cinema that resonates across Asia and the world. Growing up in a Japanese family in South America and now residing in Southeast Asia, I’ve always straddled the influences of East and West.

Several years ago, during the production of my first feature film in Northern Vietnam, I was profoundly impacted by news of a tragic incident: a group of young Southeast Asian individuals suffocated inside a container while trying to enter the UK. This tragedy prompted me to reflect on my own family’s immigration history. I couldn’t help but contemplate how the parents of those involved, much like mine living on the opposite side of the globe, would receive such devastating news. I imagined their enduring suffering, guilt, and inability to come to terms with such a loss.

The haunting image of a white container in a distant land stayed with me, evoking frames from Kurosawa’s films. This inspired me to write a short story titled “A Dream For My Daughter,” where I could provide a grieving father with an opportunity for a final meeting with his child in my dreams.

After months of writing and research, the project received the Cinema Creators’ Lab prize from the prestigious Japanese publisher Kodansha. Their generous support turned this endeavor into a successful partnership, allowing me to bring a story to life that I had once deemed impossible.

While I cannot change fate or alleviate their suffering, my intention is to utilize cinema as a means to respectfully and sincerely bid farewell, honoring and commemorating these young souls who fell victim to human trafficking.

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