A FEATURE FILM BY WRITER & DIRECTOR Melissa Anastasi || PRODUCER Bernadette Murray
onceuponatimeyoulovedme.com
Developed through the Venice Biennale College Cinema Lab, 2021
Stage: Development & Financing
Once Upon A Time You Loved Me is an intimate and personal feature film about first love and first heartbreak, tracking themes of female desire and sexuality, set within the diaspora communities of south western Sydney. The film tracks an unexpected romance between two women from different worlds – Mina, 18, a Cypriot-Australian, and Leyla, 30, a Lebanese migrant, who meet when Leyla is seeking out a custom made wedding dress. Desire ignites With Leyla’s wedding day looming and Mina fears losing Leyla so tries to change her mind. Her attempts are painfully rejected by Leyla and Mina has to choose to fight or walk away.