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Vulvo and Dynia

For my final project in my degree program, I delved into the experience of living with pain syndromes during penetration from various angles.

I collected stories from different women, including my own, and consulted with leading professionals in the field. Using a combination of live action and animation, I created a short film that is mostly based on personal experiences.
 

The film presents a monologue of a woman dealing with the many challenges of penetration pain syndromes, from conflicts with doctors, partners, and others who do not understand her pain to the difficulty of receiving a diagnosis and the struggles of feeling different from society.
 

I strongly believe that raising awareness of these syndromes and normalizing them can help more women recognize the options available

for treatment and approach towards their syndromes. Most importantly, it can alleviate the difficulties in self-acceptance that these women face.

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creator: Dina stescovich
guider: Karin Keiner
actor and voiceover: Neta sarig
Other actors: Tal Amar, Amnon Sivan, Yuval Avni, Natan Stescovich,
Tom Friedman
Photography: Amber Alon
Lighting: Sharon Kiryti
Music producer: Alon Glassner
Coloring: Jamie Levinkind
Additional guidance: Bob Orel, Erez Bachar, Neta Sarig

Special thanks: Ben Stescovich, Orly Stescovich, Natan Stescovich, Amnon Sivan,

Shir heled, Noy Eliyahu, Yuval Halevy, Gal Lahav,

Additional thanks: Adi Karelitz, Sharon Orshmili, "שלמה" organization, "מדברות על VV" on facebook.
this is a student film: Visual communication design, HIT Holon Institute of Technology

The full film

Nominations & winnings at festivals around the world

The film has been entered into elevn competitions spanning across different festivals, including locations such as Europe, Hong Kong, and the USA. I had the privilege of attending the prestigious awarding ceremony at UCL "FOMI festival" in London as a winner, witnessing its screening at the CLIT festival in Stubal, Portugal, and participating in the student film competition in person at Unifest in Salerno, Italy.

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   Awards:

  • Originality and creativity award - FOMI, Festival of Moving Image 2023, London, England

  • Winner of spacial price for "Sexual and Reproductive Health" - World Health Organization, Health for All Film Festival, Switzerland

  •  jury's grand prize - ODSencorto 2023. Valenica, Spain

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   Nominations:

  • Finalist in Unifest competition for student films at the Linea d'Ombra Festival in Salerno, Italy

  • Semi-finalist and won an honorable mention at del Cinema di Cefalù festival, Italy

  • Quarter-finalist in swiff competition - Student World Impact Film Festival, New Jersey, USA

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Additional performances:
CLIT festival setubal, Portugal
OnScreen Film Festival Pennsylvania, USA
GUFA- Global University Film Awards Hong Kong
Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions England
England International Women's Day film festival
Reto por el Mundo, San Sebastián, Spain

work process

Research

The project began as a seminar on pain syndromes during penetration
and their portrayal in the media. I started by wondering how awareness can be raised for the best and which topic I should focus in.
After conducting historical research, I recognized the need to shift from
a purely medical perspective to a more social and sexual approach when discussing this syndromes. I grappled with the challenge of visually representing an emotional and mental subject that is often overlooked.

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Choosing a platform

To create identification and connection with the viewers, I knew I had to use
a personal story that would pique their interest. Film, with its ability to contain a complex narrative while maintaining sensitivity, was the ideal medium.
My goal was to reach a diverse audience, including those who suffer from
the syndrome as well as women exploring their sexuality.

I chose to produce a live action film out of a desire to convey the story in
a way that evokes empathy. The animation is intended to emphasize
the tension leading up to the defining moments of the character's discovery.

I processed my own emotional experiences and collected personal stories from other women to write the film's monologue. By weaving personal stories with artistic expression, I aimed to create an emotionally resonant film that inspires empathy and understanding.

Verbal basics

The monologue is of a woman who tells about her dealings with
the syndrome from several angles:
-Experiences with partners
-Meetings with doctors
-Feeling different in front of friends and family members

I wrote a script accompanied by a voice-over monologue, I created
a story board that combines all the video segments with the text.
I was invested in the production, from building a workable schedule
to recruiting a skilled team of production workers. I carefully handpicked actors who could effectively convey the film's message with professionalism and sensitivity.

לוח זמנים.png

Design basics

Design language and setting

The film was shot in three sets - a medical clinic, a bedroom and

a kitchen - which represent different points in the character's life sequence, and give us a glimpse of the same feeling she experiences everywhere: disconnection, or alternatively the "out of body" experience that can be felt during unpleasant situations.
 

My inspiration for the film was drawn from the series "Flybag" for its fourth-wall-breaking style, which captures the character's sense of feeling outside of situations and controlled. Additionally, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "RATCHED" inspired the cold green color scheme.
 

As the shoot approached, I collected props and determined the desired look for the set. Despite encountering unexpected problems that forced us to improvise and shoot in a small apartment, I cleared out the room, painted the walls to match the film's artistic design,

and carried out the shoot.

Cinematic expression

I used a formal and thematic montage that playfully illustrated the text,
Most of the film is shot in close-ups and camera movements that close
the space to create the feeling of closeness and suffocation.

I imagined the "Vulvodinia world", as I called the piece of animation that was made frame-by-frame, to a trip to the movie Yellow Submarine, and the dinosaur that bites an innocent caterpillar also came to visit from there.

The collage sections of nature photographs simulate the feelings
the character feels inside, the eruption of a volcano and a stormy sea demonstrate the pain the character feels during relationships
or in conversations that diminish her from others.

Production

We filmed the movie in my rented apartment in Tel Aviv over 3 days with

a small, multi-talented team consisting of myself as director, producer,

and art director. a photographer, a cinematographer, 4 production +

art assistants, 2 actors, and 5 extras.
 

The film features a changing collage of scenes, some more comfortable

and easier to perform than others. For intimate and challenging scenes,

we cleared the set except for the actors who worked with professionalism

and restraint. Despite space limitations, we managed to improvise and effectively match the storyboard with the photographs.

Untitled-1-01.png

Post production

I edited the film in Premiere and After Effects, I made the animation in Procreate. The graphic language was similar to filling out a medical visit form on the doctor's computer. I wanted to mention the familiar feeling of slow manual typing and the discomfort it conveys.

The musical composition and editing was expertly handled by a music producer. I provided him with a dummy version with music as a reference, and he created an impressive soundtrack that perfectly complemented
the film.

I was initially concerned about discussing the project in front of men, but was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone, including the staff and lecturers
at the college, were attentive, sensitive, and curious.

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