Private Project

Dig Up Your Roots : Ms Yuno Hu

Celebrity international fashion designer Ms Yuno Hu gives a rare public appearance on the popular genealogy programme, 'Dig Up Your Roots'. The pursuit of her family origins in Japan leads her to partake in a mysterious ritual tea ceremony which reveals the secrets of her ancestors. She disappears only to be tracked down and ultimately has to face the consequences of knowing the truth about herself and her family.

  • Mariko Francombe
    Director
  • Mariko Francombe
    Writer
  • Mariko Francombe
    Producer
  • Red Button Film-making Society
    Producer
  • Gina Purcell
    Key Cast
  • Kyle Stewart
    Key Cast
  • Roland Scales
    Key Cast
  • Jon Tilley
    Key Cast
  • David Thomas
    cinematography
  • Nicholas Loizou
    cinematography
  • James Williams
    cinematography
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Television, Other
  • Genres:
    Mockumentary, Fictional, Drama
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 17, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    250 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Mariko Francombe

After an initial career in the food industry, Fine Art degree studies at Bucks New University led Mariko to performance and video art. She graduated in 2003.

The following year, her participation as a digital story contributor in the first series of BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' ignited a passion for telling stories in film.

It was also this experience which inspired the idea of a spoof series of fictional 'mockumentaries' based on the ever-popular BBC genealogy programme.

Since 2004, Mariko has freelanced as a video producer. Also working part-time at Bucks New University, in 2008 she joined the student Red Button Filmmaking Society and took on various roles behind and in front of camera.

'Dig Up Your Roots: Ms Yuno Hu' was the first film she had written, produced and directed. To achieve her vision it then spent a long time in post-production.

Also with the Red Button crew, Mariko had previously collaborated with Jon Tilley in the creation of a film based on Jon's poem 'Escaping the Wind'.

In 2011, Mariko and two others formed the Ellipsis Network to continue making connections and working with indie filmmakers. This led to creating the Fisheye Film Festival, which began in 2015 and has since been Mariko's main focus of attention.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Mariko wrote the 'Ms Yuno Hu' script based on the fact that one of her real ancestors was a samurai and being 'hafu-hafu' (Anglo-Japanese) allowed her to play with cultural notions of 'Orientals' both past and present.

The result is a hybrid of TV mock-doc, drama and fantasy, with caricatures and a mish-mash of 20th and 21st century popular references (martial arts movies and costume conventions).