Taskovski Films Sales has picked up documentary “My Sextortion Diary,” directed and produced by Patricia Franquesa. The film, which explores Franquesa’s reaction to an attempted digital blackmail that occurred in 2019, will have its world premiere at SXSW. PvNew debuts the trailer, below.
In May 2019, a laptop belonging to Franquesa is stolen during a business trip in Madrid. After diligently filing a police report, her life goes on as usual until Aug. 1, when she receives a voice message from a friend. He notifies her that he has received a strange email with very personal pictures that seem to be of Franquesa. It is then that she realizes she is the victim of what is called sextortion.
An anonymous hacker accesses all the stored data in the stolen laptop and finds three very private photos of Franquesa. He threatens that if he doesn’t receive $2,400 he will mass-mail the pictures to all her work contacts in order to ruin her professional reputation.
Shame, anger and distress caused by months of brutal extortion are transformed into the need to share the process. Faced with the ineffectiveness of the legal forces, Franquesa feels frightened and vulnerable. When it seems there is no hope in the case, Franquesa receives a letter from the Madrid court stating that the two guys who stole her computer have been caught.
With this first clue, Franquesa sets out on her own investigation to stop the hacker and regain control and power over her privacy.
The film is produced by Franquesa through Gadea Films and Mireia Graell at Ringo Media.
Irena Taskovski, CEO and head of sales at Taskovski Films, said: “In the digital age, our vulnerabilities are laid bare, and our most intimate moments can become weapons against us. It’s our pleasure to collaborate with the award-winning Patricia Franquesa and her thought-provoking documentary ‘My Sextortion Diary,’ shedding light on the harrowing reality of cyber blackmail. In this film, the fight for privacy becomes a battle for dignity and control, resonating globally and poised to captivate audiences worldwide.”
Franquesa said: “It is our honor to join the esteemed catalog of Taskovski Films, renowned for their genuine commitment to championing new voices in cinema and embracing disruptive, personal narratives like ‘My Sextortion Diary.’ Their palpable dedication makes them the perfect partner to authentically represent the essence of our film on a global scale.”
Franquesa began her career as a producer and director in Tel Aviv, working with Heymann Brothers Films and Hilla Medalia. She also worked with Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy on “Censored Voices” (2015, Sundance) and “The Oslo Diaries” (2019, HBO).
After returning to Barcelona, her hometown, she co-founded Gadea Films, where she produced the feature documentary “La Mami” (2019, IDFA) by Laura Herrero Garvín.
Her directorial feature debut was “Oh Dear Sara” (2021), a portrait of Sara Bahai, Afghanistan’s first female cab driver. The documentary screened at DocLisboa, Beldocs and Docs Barcelona, and was awarded at the Iran International Film Festival and Evolution Mallorca Film Festival. It was commercially distributed in more than 60 theaters across Spain.
