Why Directors Teodora Ana Mihai and Sode Yukiko Kept Motherhood Secret From Colleagues: 'I Needed to Prove Myself Three Times More'

Two directors whose films are competing or screening at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival described how they kept news of motherhood secret from colleagues while continuing to make movies. Teodora Ana Mihai, based in Belgium, has “Heysel 85” in competition, and she shared the TIFF Lounge stage with Japanese director Sode Yukiko, whose “All the Lovers in the Night” screens in the Gala Selection after debuting at Cannes. During a Tokyo Talks session on raising children while filming—held with childcare on site—Sode discussed hiding the birth of her second child in 2021, even from trusted producers, to avoid offer delays. Mihai said she was 37 when her daughter was born, hid her pregnancy early for months, and argued she needed to prove herself “three times more” than many male colleagues.