vuvlo and dynia ___ Final Degree Film Project
Film Direction · Scriptwriting · Art Direction · Production Design · Animation · Editing
"Vulvo and Dynia" is a short hybrid film combining live action and animation, exploring the personal and social experience of pain syndromes during penetration.
The project draws on true stories from multiple women and transforms them into a visual and emotional narrative that exposes the hidden struggles behind diagnosis, relationships, and self-acceptance.
By merging realism with surreal imagery, the film raises awareness and empathy for an often-silenced issue, positioning pain as both a physical and emotional jou
Vulvo and Dynia film
BRIEF
Developed as my final degree project, the film began as a seminar on the media portrayal of pain syndromes during penetration.
Through historical and medical research, I realized the conversation around these syndromes needed to move beyond the clinical, which even there he is not well known and talked about enough, towards a social and emotional dialogue.
The goal was to create a short film for awareness and connection, capable of reaching both women who experience these syndromes and broader audiences unfamiliar with them.
GOAL
To represent pain and self-acceptance through an empathetic and artistic lens, normalizing conversation around female sexual pain and challenging the stigma and invisibility surrounding it.
The project aimed to raise awareness, encourage identification, and open discussion - showing that these syndromes are not a private burden, but a shared social and emotional experience.
images from the film
CONCEPT
The film follows a woman’s intimate monologue, revealing the emotional and physical dimensions of living with pain syndromes: encounters with doctors, misunderstandings with partners, and feelings of alienation.
Through a mix of live-action sequences and frame-by-frame animation, the film visualizes the character’s inner worl, a symbolic landscape where pain and emotion intertwine. It shows how she experiences the same discomfort in both her room and the clinic, blurring the boundaries between these spaces until they become one.
Stylistically, the project draws inspiration from “Fleabag” (for its fourth-wall-breaking intimacy) and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” / “Ratched” (for the cool green, clinical color palette).
The animation segment, called the “Vulvodynia World”, combines surreal forms and hand-drawn motion reminiscent of "Yellow Submarine", translating emotions into metaphor through erupting volcanoes, waves, and nature imagery.
visual board and set comes to life
PROCESS
Research & Development: Conducted a research about pain syndromes, combining medical sources with personal interviews. Wrote a script and monologue derived from collected testimonies, blending personal and collective experiences.
Script & Storyboarding: Created a storyboard mapping the narrative’s emotional flow and visual rhythm, three symbolic spaces: the clinic, the bedroom, and the kitchen - representing moments of alienation and detachment.
Production Planning: Built a detailed shooting schedule and assembled a small, multidisciplinary team. Cast actors who could convey sensitivity and restraint; designed each set with a coherent color and emotional logic.
Art Direction & Set Design: Transformed a room in a small Tel Aviv apartment into the three locations by repainting walls, sourcing props, and constructing an immersive, cohesive visual environment despite spatial limitations.
Shooting: Directed and produced two filming days, managing a tight team of cinematographer, gaffer, production assistants, and actors. Focused on close-ups and restricted framing to evoke suffocation and intimacy.
Animation: Designed and produced the animation in Procreate, inspired by films and natural metaphors to depict the “inner pain world.”
Editing & Post-Production: Edited in Adobe Premiere and After Effects, integrating live footage and animation. Developed a graphic packege that mimicking medical report forms - evoking the mechanical, uncomfortable experience of clinical documentation.
Music & Sound: Collaborated with a sound designer and composer, providing a reference cut and direction pacing and atmosphere.
Presentation & Reflection: Overcame initial hesitation about discussing intimate subjects publicly; the film was met with empathy and curiosity from both peers and academic staff.
research
shot breakdown
process and set
graphic package from the film
MY ROLE
I served as the writer, director, producer, and art director, leading every stage from research to post-production.
I also created the animation, edited the final cut, and designed the film’s visual and conceptual identity, ensuring that every element: text, image, and sound, worked together to convey empathy, honesty, and awareness.
SOFT SKILLS IN ACTION
Leadership: Directed a multidisciplinary team through every stage of production.
Process Research & Development: Conducted in-depth thematic and visual research to shape the film’s narrative structure.
Empathy & Emotional Intelligence: Navigated sensitive storytelling with care and authenticity.
Adaptability: Turned technical and spatial constraints into creative opportunities.
Communication: Balanced intimacy and professionalism in working with actors and crew.
Creative Problem-Solving: Blended live-action and animation to visualize an invisible experience.
shooting days
story board to life
CHALLENGES
Creating a film about vulvodynia, a highly intimate and often stigmatized condition required navigating emotional sensitivity, social taboos, and personal vulnerability.
From the early stages, I faced both the weight of my own experience and the need to represent others’ stories with accuracy and empathy.
On a practical level, production was also challenged by limited resources, pandemic restrictions, and unexpected disruptions such as the unstability in my country. Coordinating filming in a small apartment turned set demanded flexibility, problem-solving, and creative adaptation.
SOLUTIONS
I approached these challenges through a balance of honesty, empathy, and discipline. By combining personal testimony with careful research and interviews with other women, I shaped a script that was both authentic and collective. To maintain emotional accessibility, I used a hybrid visual language, mixing live-action with frame-by-frame animation to externalize internal pain while preserving sensitivity.
Throughout production, I built a supportive, gender-balanced crew, fostering open communication and trust. When technical or spatial limitations arose, I reframed them as creative opportunities, transforming my living space into a cinematic set and integrating constraints into the visual narrative. Ultimately, each obstacle strengthened the emotional depth and integrity of the film.
shooting days
IMPACT
The film was screened and awarded internationally, receiving recognition across Europe, the USA, and Asia, including:
World Health Organization - Health for All Film Festival (Switzerland): Special Prize for Sexual and Reproductive Health
Festival of the Moving Image (UCL, London): Originality and Creativity Award
ODSencorto (Valencia): Jury’s Grand Prize
It was also selected, nominated, and received special mentions in several additional international film festivals, and continues to be screened to this day.
Following its success, I was invited to give lectures and share insights about the project’s creative process and social message.
Beyond the festival circuit, the film is also shown in medical and therapeutic contexts including physiotherapy and women’s health programs, serving as an educational and emotional tool to raise awareness, spark dialogue, and inspire empathy through art.
festivals images