Miyu Distribution Acquires Fernanda Salgado’s Buzzy Brazilian Ancestral Memory Drama ‘Ana, En Passant’

Miyu Distribution has made its second big announcement of the week, acquiring international rights to Brazilian filmmaker Fernanda Salgado’s animated feature debut Ana, en Passant, which will receive its world premiere in competition at the Brasília Brazilian Film Festival.

According to Variety, which broke the news, the film will later screen at the Vancouver International Film Festival, launching its international run as the first animated feature to compete in the event’s Vanguard program. Its Brazilian theatrical release is scheduled for November 5.

Billed as a lyrical drama, the mixed-technique feature follows Ana, a young Black woman who travels from Paris to Belo Horizonte after her Brazilian grandmother’s death. There, she meets Alice, a pregnant dancer living in her grandmother’s former apartment. As the two women grow closer, Ana pieces together her family history and reconsiders her ideas about identity and belonging.

Salgado combines 2D animation, rotoscoping, collage, and stop motion to distinguish the film’s layered memories and realities. The project has been in development for more than a decade, with its screenplay selected for Berlinale Talents’ Script Station in 2012. It was also among five projects presented at the 2025 Annecy Animation Showcase at Cannes’ Marché du Film.

Jéssica Pierina voices both Ana and Alice. The cast also includes acclaimed Brazilian actress Zezé Motta, Carlos Francisco, Odilon Esteves, and Felipe Oládélè.

A Brazil-Portugal-France co-production, Ana, en Passant was produced by Apiário Estúdio Criativo, Sardinha em Lata, and Midralgar. Marcella Tamayo served as art director, Camila Kater as animation director, and Brazilian ensemble Metá Metá composed the original score.