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Abduction

A re-telling of the myth of Persephone through the lens of bondage and BDSM, a young woman navigates through the labyrinth of power dynamics and restraint, as she overcomes her struggles for autonomy and self-actualization.

  • Yazmeen Mirgoli
    Director
    Heresy
  • Yazmeen Mirgoli
    Producer
    Heresy
  • Yazmeen Mirgoli
    Key Cast
    "Persephone/Yaz"
    Heresy
  • Brent Bailey
    Director of Photography
    Dragula
  • Damon Pierce
    Rope Rigger
    Westworld
  • Yazmeen Mirgoli
    Writer
    Heresy
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Music Video, Short
  • Genres:
    Fantasy, Surrealism, Experimental, Music Video
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 22, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Canon Raw
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Seattle Erotic Art Festival
    Seattle, Washington
    United States
    April 27, 2024
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • aGLIFF / Prism Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    United States
    August 24, 2024
    Southwest Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Erotic and Bizarre Art Film Festival
    Alicante
    Spain
    December 20, 2024
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • TEASR Short Film Festival
    Tucson, Arizona
    United States
    March 15, 2025
    Arizona Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Norfolk Queer International Film Festival
    Norwich
    United Kingdom
    October 10, 2025
    UK Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • YouTube
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet
Director Biography - Yazmeen Mirgoli

Yazmeen Mirgoli is a director, producer, and multidisciplinary artist living in Los Angeles. Her work has been featured globally in film, editorials, print media, advertising, and live events since 2013.

In 2018, Yazmeen graduated with honors from UCLA, earning a minor in Film, TV, and Digital Media with a concentration in directing from the university's renowned school of theater, film, and television.

In 2019, she launched her production company Yaz Media and began her work in the realm of social impact entertainment, most notably through collaborations with artist and Oscar history-maker Kelly Mantle and through her work with the Library of Congress archived platform WERRRK.com.

In March 2022, Yazmeen released her directorial debut, "Heresy." A rallying cry against the demonization of empowered female sexuality, the music video reimagines the story of Lilith and Eve in the Garden of Eden through the lens of female autonomy and agency. The video was also produced by Yazmeen and was part of the immersive world she created for her debut album Inferno.

Yazmeen's latest project is her debut short film Abduction. Inspired by her real-life experience being unlawfully institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital at age 15 by her mother, Abduction reimagines the classic myth of Persephone through the lens of bondage, BDSM, and forced submission on a societal level. The film intertwines the mythology of Persephone’s journey of self-actualization from an innocent maiden to the queen of Hades with Yazmeen's own experiences in the psychiatric hospital to explore the themes of the loss of innocence, individuation, resurrection, and rebirth.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Abduction is an examination of one of the darkest experiences of my life.

When I was 15 years old, my mother had me unlawfully institutionalized. I was strapped down to a bed, drugged, and held hostage for nine days as the 72-hour psychiatric hold I was initially placed under continued to be illegally renewed. I was stripped of any semblance of autonomy and of all of my rights. I was forced into a position of complete submission with threats of being drugged further and held longer for any sort of perceived lack of total compliance. After nine days in hell, I was released and swore I would spend the rest of my life fighting to change the system that nearly killed me.

I have spent the past 12 years unraveling the impact of what happened to me over those nine life-altering days. Despite over a decade of self-work, it was not until I made this film, that the person I once was finally began to re-emerge.

Ultimately, Abduction is my liberation. I hope that you enjoy it.