On a remote volcanic island, a place everyone wants to leave, Nana has learned to stay. The film charts three chapters in Nana’s life. Firstly, Nana as a toddler after her mother, who suffers from a mysterious illness, leaves her with her grandmother. Secondly, the magical-realist section when Nana’s fever journey enters a surreal sequence from the sea to the volcano. And lastly, Nana as a teenager, building off the two previous sections to define the young woman she is now. When her mother Nia returns, Nana discovers why this island is the only place she can ever call home.
“Growing up in Europe, I noticed that Cape Verde was often omitted from world maps and globes because of its small size. As one way to make it visible, I made Cape Verde and its people the central theme of my first feature film.” (Denise Fernandes)