BIO

Aya was born in Tokyo. She is half Japanese, half Belgian with a Russian grandfather and a Dutch grandmother. She lives in Portugal since 1992. This is why she made two movies about her family, memory, identity and the sense of existence. She got eight prizes with her first movie and she has just finished her second one which will have its international premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival. She has collaborated with many movie directors. She keeps great memories from her student time at the Fine Arts University in Lisbon. She developped Cinema Studies at Sorbonne Nouvelle, in Paris, where she also worked in movie production. She’s now back to Lisbon where she loves her lifestyle.

Filmography:

• A VOLTA AO MUNDO QUANDO TINHAS 30 ANOS / AROUND THE WORLD WHEN YOU WERE MY AGE (2018) - World Premier at DocLisboa International Film Festival.
• YAMA NO ANATA / BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS, DOC 60' (2011) - Best Documentary at DocLisboa, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal and Curitiba Brazil release in Cinemas in Portugal in 2014.
• NOCTURNOS / NOCTURNAL, DOC, HD, Colour, 27' (2010)