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Why Directors Teodora Ana Mihai and Sode Yukiko Kept Motherhood Secret From Colleagues: ‘I Needed to Prove Myself Three Times More’
Directors Teodora Ana Mihai and Sode Yukiko said they concealed pregnancies or new motherhood from film colleagues because they feared it would limit their opportunities. Speaking at the Tokyo International Film Festival, they described the pressure to balance parenting with directing and the broader changes needed to make that combination more possible.
Sode hid the birth of her second child even from trusted producers, while Mihai was still concealing her pregnancy at six months. Mihai said she felt compelled to work far harder than male colleagues, and relied on her mother to care for her children during shoots until her mother died in a car accident. Sode’s career paused when she could not find daycare for her first child; she now travels from Kanazawa to Tokyo for shoots, sometimes staying away for about six months.
In short
- Both directors hid motherhood from film colleagues.
- They feared parenthood would restrict their careers.
- Childcare and family support shaped their ability to work.
Explained simply
Film directors lead the creative and practical work of making a film, often over months of planning and shooting. Their jobs can involve long hours, travel and irregular schedules, which can be difficult to combine with caring for young children.
Teodora Ana Mihai and Sode Yukiko are directors working in an industry where opportunities and working conditions have often been shaped around people without primary childcare responsibilities. Their experiences raise questions about how access to childcare, career expectations and workplace support affect parents’ ability to stay in film work.