Director's Statement
What happens when a sacred figure appears outside of her expected cultural context?
The idea for this film came from encountering an image of the Virgin Mary in a Mexican restaurant's menu in Tokyo. It raised a simple question: what happens when a sacred figure appears outside of her expected cultural context?
Rather than approaching religion as doctrine, the film explores belief as a lived experience. Through humor and what I call "sacred silliness," it suggests that spirituality is not fixed or distant, but something shaped by culture, everyday life, and personal meaning.
By bringing together Latin American magical realism and Japanese daily life, the film reflects on how different traditions can coexist, transform, and reveal shared human experiences.
Creative Process
Apparition is not only a film, but also the result of a long personal journey through creative block. For many years, I struggled to bring ideas into form, carrying projects that remained unrealized. After undergoing heart surgery, my relationship to time, fear, and creative expression shifted in a fundamental way. It became clear that the greater risk was not failure, but not creating at all.
This film was an idea I had carried for over a decade. Making it required confronting internal patterns, doubts, and what I now understand as "creative blocks" that shape how we relate to our work. The process became a form of inquiry, both practical and emotional, into how creativity can be unblocked and sustained.
