TIFF 2025 | How Sculpting Shapes Filmmaking - Eimi Imanishi On Her Directorial Debut "Nomad Shadow"

A thought-provoking question drives Eimi Imanishi’s TIFF debut "Nomad Shadow": can you belong where you’re not welcomed?

In this interview, writer and director Eimi Imanishi discusses making her feature directorial debut with "Nomad Shadow", which as it's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Speaking with Thomas Stoneham-Judge, they cover the challenges of making a feature film with limited resources and the flexibility needed to make the project work. They also cover crafting the main character, Mariam, and how Eimi and her lead actor Nadhira Mohamed worked together to fully flesh out this character.

Plus, how Eimi's background in sculpting informs how she approaches filmmaking.

Synopsis: Deported from Spain and sent home, Mariam is desperate to return to Europe but has no way of making enough money. And her family isn’t exactly welcoming. Her mother and sister resent her for leaving. Her protective brother Alwali won’t let her work in his lucrative drug business, her sole potential source of income. Her only solace is her old friend Sidahmed, also an outsider, and her new-found, unlikely friendship with Alwali’s Moroccan girlfriend Ghalia. As Mariam struggles to come to terms with her new situation, it becomes clear that her experiences in Europe may have made reacclimation impossible.

TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Introduction
02:42 - Eimi Imanishi's history as a filmmaker and and artist
07:21 - Eimi discusses her process of developing a story for film
11:40 - "Nomad Shadow" synopsis
13:02 - Was there a scene or sequence that was difficult to convey the emotionality for?
15:48 - What was your approach to designing this film visually?
21:06 - What scared you the most about jumping into your first feature film?
24:22 - What does it mean to you to have this film premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival?

Learn more about "Nomad Shadow"
🔗https://www.tiff.net/films/nomad-shadow

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Music featured in this video include the tracks "Light As Air" by Reveille, licensed through Soundstripe.

Motion animation graphics designed by Thomas Stoneham-Judge.