Hanako Footman

ARTIST’S PROFILE

Hanako Footman is a British-Japanese actor, author and director living in London. She studied acting at LAMDA, and has since gone on to star in notable TV, Film and Theatre projects. Her credits include the Emmy award winning The Crown, the West End world premiere of Mad House and the 2026 Paramount heist movie, Crime 101. Her debut novel, Mongrel, was released in 2024 with Bonnier Books. It was shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize in 2024 and long-listed for the Polari Prize in 2025. Her second as yet untitled novel was pre-empted by Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Books, with a release date set for 2028. Hanako’s directorial debut, Emiko Jones—a black and white musical written in both Japanese and English, is currently in the festival circuit. The film is a continuation of her efforts to celebrate East Asian and mixed heritage story-telling.

Read about Hanako’s residency project below in her words…

Being in nature is my greatest aid when writing a novel, and not so easily accessed where I live in London. My hope is that time in nature, away from the city, will allow me to sink into a natural rhythm of writing and listening, immersed in a landscape and community that supports creativity and its many forms. Being in nature is my greatest aid when writing a novel, and not so easily accessed where I live in London. My hope is that time in nature, away from the city, will allow me to sink into a natural rhythm of writing and listening, immersed in a landscape and community that supports creativity and its many forms.