EXCLUSIVE: Poster for Patricia Franquesa’s SXSW title My Sextortion Diary
- The director’s sophomore feature documents how her world was turned upside down when she became the target of blackmail after her computer was stolen
Pati’s world is turned upside down when the theft of her computer leads to her becoming the target of a blackmail threat. An invisible hacker sets up a game of cat and mouse, pushing Pati to the limit as she seeks help from legal authorities, only to realise she is the only one who can find a way out. Through her search, Pati discovers that her story is just one of the countless cases demonstrating the vulnerability we all face in protecting our privacy in the online world.
This is the engaging premise of Patricia Franquesa’s second documentary feature, titled My Sextortion Diary [+see also:
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Franquesa made her directorial debut with Oh Dear Sara, a 2021 documentary zooming in on Sara Bahai, Afghanistan’s pioneering female taxi driver. This project, a co-production between Spain, Norway and Serbia, premiered at festivals like DocLisboa, Beldocs and Docs Barcelona. It won awards at the Iran International Film Festival and the Evolution Mallorca Film Fest, enjoying commercial distribution across over 60 Spanish cinemas.
“My Sextortion Diary became my liberation from the harassment I was suffering from. For as long as I can remember, I’ve used dissociation to flee from painful realities, sheltering in my inner world. There, I could draw, paint and craft the reality I wished for. The day following the blackmail, I turned to my sanctuary – my computer and the internet – searching for answers. I was lost, scouring the news, articles and statistics, and realising I was one of countless global cases. These discoveries made me understand the urgency and global scale of this matter. It was clear: this had to become a documentary,” the helmer tells Cineuropa.
My Sextortion Diary is a Spanish production staged by the director herself for Gadea Films and Mireia Graell for Ringo Media, and co-produced with 3Cat. Backers include the ICAA, ICEC, Movistar Plus+, Fundació Víctor Grífols and VGTV. Taskovski Films is in charge of its international sales.
Check out our exclusive poster for My Sextortion Diary below:
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