Basque filmmaker Ione Hernández makes her feature-length fiction directorial debut with Sisters, a drama about the family bonds of two women who are forced to face the same reality but from different perspectives: a situation of sexual violence involving their respective children.

Starring two widely acclaimed actresses – Emma Suárez (a Goya winner for The Dog in the Manger, Julieta [+lire aussi :
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Q&A : Pedro Almodovar
fiche film], The Next Skin [+lire aussi :
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interview : Isa Campo, Isaki Lacuesta
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interview : Pedro Almodóvar
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interview : Esther García
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The plot introduces us to Chelo (Anaya), who wants to divorce her husband Javier and build a life far from a relationship that has already come to an end. Meanwhile, her sister Marta (Suárez) is a journalist who struggles to do it all, burdened by a past she carries around with her and that is sometimes painful. Unbeknownst to them, this summer, a party and a family gathering will change their lives: Lucas, Marta’s 18-year-old son, is accused of sexually assaulting his underage cousin Sofía, Chelo’s daughter. Chelo’s condemnation of her nephew will sever ties, dragging the past into the present, and will bring to light the harsh reality of hurting one part of the family in order to retain the integrity of the other.

Ione Hernández — a filmmaker, playwright and journalist — produced short films before joining Alicia Produce, where she worked on the second unit of Julio Medem’s documentary The Basque Ball, and later directed the 2006 non-fiction feature Uno por ciento, esquizofrenia, produced by Medem.

“As a journalist and documentarian, I have always felt the need to tell stories that reflect what is happening in society around me,” the filmmaker says. “This movie is born of a real-life case and of my concern about those sexual assaults that never make the headlines, that happen shrouded in silence within families, without evidence or witnesses, and which are often kept quiet out of fear or shame. Although it seems we have progressed by talking more openly about the issue, I think it is only a mirage because we still do not know how to tackle what is most uncomfortable. I am interested in placing the camera right there, in that grey area where people hesitate, fall silent and normalise situations that should be questioned,” she concludes.

Sisters is being produced by brothers César and José Esteban Alenda for Solita Films, María Zamora for Elastica, Lara Izagirre and Garazi Elorza for Gariza Films, and Úrsula Romero and R Paul Miller for ISB Films. It also has the support of the ICAA, Madrid City Council, EiTB and HBO. The film will be distributed in Spain by Elastica.