Filmmaker Mayumi Yoshida is forging her individual path through personal storytelling

Mayumi Yoshida might be at present, in the spotlight for her filmmaking - however, to listen to her talk about her story, she found herself filmmaking almost on accident. "I originally started as an actor," declares Mayumi. "There weren't a lot of roles to choose from, and there weren't enough roles that I really, really enjoyed from the bottom of my being and made me feel, 'Oh, this is me.'" So, when an opportunity came up to raise funds to make a short film Mayumi took the initiative to play not only a character but be the director the film, which is a personal narrative.

"That resulted in a myriad of film festivals," says Mayumi. "It led me to feel"Oh, there's a lot more that I could do as a storyteller and an artist, and rather than just actors." Since the time, Mayumi has continued to steadily build her film repertoire including collaborating with artist Amanda Sum on artful music videos that upend expectations and push the boundaries of genre structure.

"The most helpful advice I've received from anyone other than myself was when they advised me to take responsibility of my abilities," says Mayumi. It's about embracing the courage to champion her work even in the midst of self doubt. "Don't be afraid to say no to anyone else," she adds. "You feel like, 'Oh, but it's not going to work yet. Oh, but I won't get in. It's just not happening.' Nobody has told you that yet. The truth is that you've already told them. Therefore, let it go. take the shot and never know. It is often successful. out."

We were able to sit down with Mayumi just before the release of her Staff Picked film "Different Than Before" was awarded the Jury Award for Best Music Video at the 2023 SXSW festival. Take a look at the highlights from our chat in the above video as well as read the entire interview in the following article.

 What themes do you find yourself returning to over and over in your works?

Mayumi: The themes that I often examine in my films are searching for identity, and usually family drama. The majority of my films come from intimate places. So, the dynamics between families or even stuck in between cultural, intergenerational, and multi-cultural are kind of right up my alley.

 What motivates you?

Mayumi The one great thing about film is that it continues to exist forever. The story you tell the film is now a container, but it will just live on forever, which is what these characters can experience even when you're no longer in the vicinity. It seems like I've watched numerous films that were created prior to my birth  and they affect me. If I was the medium to tell stories that could last forever I decided that was my goal after I made films of my own that I loved. I was like, "Ooh, there's more to this. It's more than just telling what I love passionately."

 We would love to hear about your Staff Pick experience.

Mayumi Mayumi: It was really, really exciting. In my opinion, it was a huge success for everyone, since the film was a message for the social and we all wanted it to be a success not just because each involved worked extremely hard on the film, but also because the message was something was needed in the moment, as well as. We released the film during Asian Heritage Month, so it really mattered that lots of people watched it and saw it. And staff, they just did their part to boost that. I truly appreciated it.

I was very familiar with Staff Picks, and I simply thought, "Oh, that's the cool group of people." This caused me to feel as "Oh is it me? Am I worthy?" And now I just feel like it's just awesome friends who hang out. I'm really happy to be a part of this group.

 What's next?

Mayumi: What's next for me is my first film that's based on my first short film AKASHI. It's been a long journey and I'm so happy in the fact that we're able to film this. It's a great pleasure to present this at some of these cool festival and then have it shared with others, on someday.