Booked & Busy Filmmaking Podcast
Welcome to the Booked & Busy Filmmaking podcast! This podcast for multi-hyphenate film creatives looking for the motivation, inspiration and information to navigate the film industry with confidence, stay resilient and get their stories made! Hosted by actor, writer, director Katrina Reynolds (aka KAT)!
Kat is a musical theatre performer who's been on Broadway, an actress who's been in multiple network TV shows and Hallmark films and an award filmmaker who didn't go to film school.
We hope you'll stick around as Kat interviews directors, writers, actors, producers, and independent filmmakers who wear alllllll of those hats and we learn about their journeys as storytellers and the ups and downs they've navigated as creatives.
Booked & Busy Filmmaking Podcast
Episode 12: Akashi And Beyond ( With Mayumi Yoshida)
This is such a fabulous episode! Mayumi Yoshida shares her journey from a multicultural upbringing to becoming a filmmaker. She discusses the challenges she faced in the acting industry, particularly regarding representation, and how these experiences motivated her to create her own opportunities in theatre and film. Mayumi reflects on the impact of her grandmother's stories on her creative work, particularly in her film 'Akashi', which explores themes of love, commitment, and cultural identity. She emphasizes the importance of personal narratives in filmmaking and the support of her community in navigating the industry as an independent filmmaker.
You can catch screenings of 'Akashi' at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival on Sunday November 9th at TIFF Lightbox and also coming up in Vancouver at Vancouver Asian Film Festival on November 15th at 9pm at Scotia Bank Theatre as the festival's closing film!
Mayumi Yoshida is a Japanese-born, Vancouver-based actor, writer, and director whose work bridges cultures and generations. Raised across Japan, Belgium, and the U.S., her international upbringing informs her storytelling—intimate, emotionally layered, and often exploring identity, intergenerational trauma, and the quiet ache of belonging. A TIFF Writer’s Studio alum and participant in WBD Access x Canadian Academy, and Beyond Japan Filmmakers Program (mentored by Hirokazu Koreeda). Yoshida crafts character-driven narratives with understated emotional power. Her directorial debut short, AKASHI, which she also wrote and starred in, won Outstanding Writer out of 4500 films at the NBCUniversal Short Film Festival and Best Female Director at the Vancouver Short Film Festival. Her SXSW Jury Award-winning music video Different Than Before was also nominated for a JUNO. She recently served as Associate Producer on the A24/Apple TV+ series SUNNY. Her debut feature, AKASHI just had it's award winning premiere at VIFF!
Chapters
00:00
Introduction and Background
05:47
Journey into Filmmaking
09:19
Theater to Film Transition
12:11
Creating Akashi: The Play
17:52
Inspiration Behind Akashi: A Personal Story
23:01
Exploring Themes of Love and Commitment
28:06
The Influence of Family Stories
30:27
Navigating Personal Loss and Creative Expression
34:20
The Journey of a First-Time Filmmaker
36:16
Funding and Community Support in Filmmaking
37:59
Unexpected Success and Recognition
40:48
Embracing Identity and Ownership in Filmmaking
44:15
The Transition from Short Film to Feature
45:39
Building Experience Through Diverse Projects
49:42
The Importance of Story in Creative Choices
53:57
Visual Storytelling Beyond Dialogue
55:17
Symbolism and Juxtaposition in Film
57:36
Exploring Minimal Dialogue in Cinema
59:02
Shooting in Japan: Challenges and Creativity
01:01:12
Collaborative Filmmaking: The Importance of Team
01:03:20
Balancing Budget and Creative Control
01:07:00
The Casting Process: Building Connections
01:09:50
THIS ONE TIME: Community Impact in Filmmaking