Stuntwomen

A documentary film by Elena Avdija

84 min / documentary / 2022

Coproduction : Alter Ego / Bande à Part Films (Switzerland) / RTS / Arte France / BIP TV
Sales: AndanaFilms

with scriptwriting support from Cinéforom
winner of the SSA grant and the RTS « Perspective d’un doc » award at Visions du Réel 2019
with development supports from FOC (Federal Office of Culture), Cinéforom, Procirep-Angoa and Ciclic-Centre-Val de Loire Region
with the production supports from FOC, Cinéforom, Suissimage and Ciclic-Centre-Val de Loire Region and CNC-FSA

---

They are hit by cars, have to dive 70 meters into the depths and absorb many a hard blow. For professional stuntwomen Virginie, Petra and Estelle, this is all in a day's work. In order to perform physically demanding scenes for film and television, they undergo rigorous daily training. But in the male-dominated film industry, stereotypical portrayals of vulnerable women on screen are still common, and even stuntwomen often find themselves in the roles of female victims, while male colleagues embody perpetrators or heroes. In her debut feature, filmmaker Elena Avdija sheds light on an exciting and hard-hitting business in which female actors all too often remain in the shadows.

Press Kit: PDF
Press Reviews: PDF

Awards:
Golden Eye (Focus Competition) / Zurich Film Festival – 2022
Quartz for Best Documentary Film / Swiss Film Award - 2023

Festival selections:
Zurich Film Festival – Focus Competition / Switzerland - 2022
International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA) – Luminous / Netherlands - 2022
Cartagena International Film Festival Amsterdam / Colombia – 2023
Young French Cinema Film Festival / USA – 2023
Journées du Cinéma Suisse / France – 2023
Festival UNES / France – 2023
International Film Festival Febiofest / Slovakia – 2023
Tempo Documentary Festival / Sweden – 2023
Prishtina International Film Festival / Kosovo – 2023
Shanghai International Film Festival – SIFF Documentaries / China - 2023