A filmmaker Mayumi Yoshida is forging her unique path by telling her own story.

Mayumi Yoshida has been recently, on the radar because of her work in filmmaking. Yet in her words she started her career in the field of directing by chance. "I began my career acting for actors" claims Mayumi. "There was not an abundance of roles that I could choose from as well as not enough roles that I really, loved from my heart that made me feel like"Oh, this is my reality.'" So, when an opportunity became available to raise funds to make a film with a shorter length, Mayumi had the opportunity to not just play a role however play the role of director for for a intimate tale.

"That resulted in various festival festivals for film,"" Mayumi says. Mayumi. "It inspired me to feel like"Oh I'm sure there's plenty I could do in the realm of storytelling, an artist, rather than being just an actor." Since that time, Mayumi has continued to expand her film portfolio and most recently, she has collaborated with the artist Amanda Sum on artful music videos that upend expectations and challenge the structure of music videos.

"The most helpful guidance I've received from a person who wasn't me was the one that said I should be accountable to my capabilities," says Mayumi. This means embracing her art, even if it's amidst self doubt. "Don't be afraid to say no to others for yourself," she adds. "You may be thinking"Oh I'm sorry, but it's still not working. Oh, but I won't get in. This isn't likely to happen. No one has informed you this yet. It's been said to you. Let it go. Take the shot and never ever. It is very likely to work out."

We had the pleasure of chatting with Mayumi shortly before the release of her Staff Picked film "Different Than Before" was given the Jury Award for Best Music Video at 2023's SXSW festival. Watch the highlights from our chat below, and read the complete interview in the following article.

   What are some of the topics that you find yourself revisiting time and again in your work?  

Mayumi one of the subjects that I often explore in my movies is the search of identity, oftentimes family drama. My films focus on personal and personal, meaning that there is a family dynamic or stuck in between cultural intergenerational, intergenerational and intercultural and intergenerational issues. These are my style.

   What motivates you?  

Mayumi An: One of the best films is the fact that it's a constant presence in time. Your story that you tell today it's like this time capsule. Then it'll live eternally, and the same people experience the same thing even when you're not there. The way I look at it is that I've seen numerous films ahead of my time which has a direct impact on my daily life. If I was the medium for telling stories that would continue to be told for a lifetime it became my mission after making films on my own that I really loved. I was like, "Ooh, there's more to this. There's more to it than is simply telling me something I adore deeply."

   Let us know what you think about the Staff Pick experience.  

Mayumi This journey was truly thrilling. According to me, the film made a huge impression for all of us since the film had a message for the social and would have liked to see it reach a wider audience, not just due because all of us put in many hours of effort into this project, but because this message was one which we had to convey while we were at this moment in time and. The film was released during Asian Heritage Month, so it really mattered that lots of people saw it and were able to experience the messages. The team also played their part in promoting that. I truly appreciated it.

I knew about Staff Picks, and I simply thought, "Oh, that's the awesome group of individuals." It made me think "Oh do I deserve to be there?" Now I feel that I'm super cool people who get together. I am truly thankful for being part of the group.

    What's next?  

Mayumi The film coming up to me will be my very first film that's based on my very first short film,"AKASHI. This has been a long and difficult journey and I feel just thrilled to be capable of filming this. It's a great pleasure to present the film at these cool events and also to see the opportunity to share it with everyone else in one single day.

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