Sereti. A search for love
Synopsis:
Sereti Nabaala is a young activist fighting for the rights of Masai women in Kenya. A survivor of female genital mutilation, which she underwent at the age of twelve, she carries within her the pain of a broken intimacy and a self-love yet to be fulfilled. She decides to travel to Europe to explore the possibility of clitoral reconstruction, a political act, but also a deeply personal quest. Her encounter with Michela Villani, a Swiss sociologist and expert in gender and sexuality, who is also on a journey of healing from trauma, ignites a dialogue about the body as a space of freedom, pleasure as an act of resistance, love as action, and care as revolution.
Producer: Olga Torrico, Adam Selo, Esther van Messel
Director: Carlotta Piccinini
Country: Italy, Switzerland
Expected running: 90’ – 52’
Screenplay: Carlotta Piccinini, Michela Villani
Cinematography: Salvatore Lucchese
Estimated budget: 500,000€
Financing in place: 85,000€
Missing resources: 415,000€
Looking for: Co-production, Pre-purchase, Acquisition
Start of shooting: March 2026
End of shooting: February 2027
Director’s Notes:
Sereti’s fight against female genital mutilation, still illegally practiced on a large scale, even in Europe, is a political act that speaks to all struggles for gender equality. In a world where women’s rights are under attack, this film is our response. It brings together the urgency of addressing a difficult topic with the desire to craft a story with a bold and joyful gaze, reclaiming pleasure, desire, and sisterhood among women from different worlds.
Production Notes:
We are drawn to complex stories that spark vision. This film follows possible paths of healing and social rewriting, in a journey that makes you reflect, suffer, laugh, rejoice, and hope. An intimate and political story that fosters exchange between different women, connecting Africa and Europe through cinema, art, and transformation. The director’s gaze and the protagonist are both unique: the images radiate authenticity, tearing apart stereotypes and postcolonial narratives.
DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY
Carlotta Piccinini is a director and video artist active between Italy and Germany. With a background in Political Science, her work focuses on human and women’s rights. She has directed acclaimed documentaries, experimental and fiction films, often blending artistic research with social engagement.
CV PRODUCTION
Founded in 2016 by Adam Selo and Olga Torrico, Sayonara Film is a production and distribution company dedicated to auteur cinema and creative documentaries. Its work reflects a strong commitment to bold and innovative storytelling within the independent film landscape.
PRODUCTION Sayonara Film | PRODUCER Olga Torrico | CONTACTS sayonarafilm16@gmail.com