¡DIOSA LAIA! (Vol. 1: The Beginning) (optional English/Italian Subtitles)
BDSM as a way of life and as a possible emancipation from capitalism while not being able, perhaps, to get out of it entirely, finding ways to disable it by transfiguring and making Poetry of certain of its dynamics, and to break traditional gender roles. "¡DIOSA LAIA! (Vol. 1: El Principio)" is the first part of a project over eight hours in total length (self-produced in collaboration with Barcelona's Nou Prodigi film school): a history of Femdom ("Female Domination," i.e., BDSM practices and relational dynamics based on the Woman who dominates and submits), and probably the first fiction film to explicitly deal with the theme of Financial Domination, i.e., the control of the money of a submissive person (usually a man, the moneyslave) by a Dominant Person (usually a Woman, the MoneyMistress or FinDomme). This vol. 1 chronicles, between contemplative cinema, Zavattinian camera-stalking, and film-brain, the daily life of Miguel, a 35-year-old clerk in Barcelona with a submissive "Femdomian" disposition, between the office, drinks with friends and with his ex, with whom he still has casual sex, his relationship with his father, a heart patient but gaudy man who does not want to give up his vices, and above all the constant thought of Goddess Laia, a professional Dominatrix and MoneyMistress whom he follows on the Internet and dreams of serving. Until he starts sending her money and gifts, a decision that could change his life.
An experimental zero-budget guerrilla filmmaking film made in collaboration with Nou Prodigi Escuela de Cine en Barcelona, ¡DIOSA LAIA! (Vol. 1: El Principio) won some awards in independent film festivals:
- Best Actor Carlos Mestanza and Best Director Martino Cossu Rocca at Festival Les Rambles - Barcelona Planet Film Festival 2022
- Best Foreign Language Feature Film at the WSE Europe International Film Festival 2022
- Best Feature Psycho at the Independent City Film Festival 2022
- Best Film, Best Actor Carlos Mestanza and Best Director Martino Cossu Rocca at the Orchid International Queer Film Festival in Rosarito 2023
- Best Script (Martino Cossu Rocca) at the Alternative Indie Pro Film Festival 2023
- Honorable Mention at the Italy International Film Festival 2024
- Honorable Mention at the Golden Reel Awards 2024
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Martino Cossu RoccaWriter
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Martino Cossu RoccaDirector
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Carlos MestanzaKey Cast
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Konstantina TitkovaKey Cast
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Trini MontoliuKey Cast
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José María BlancoKey Cast
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Martino Cossu RoccaProducer
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Josemi MéndezProducer
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Giacomo Cossu RoccaProducer
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Konstantina TitkovaProducer
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Trini MontoliuProducer
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César RiolaProducer
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Carlos MestanzaProducer
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Project Title (Original Language):¡DIOSA LAIA! (Vol. 1: El Principio)
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Project Type:Feature
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Runtime:2 hours 33 minutes 42 seconds
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Language:Spanish
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Shooting Format:HD
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No