forbidden image

by Maria Besora Barti

est 2027 · in production

A woman with short curly dark hair looking at a human pelvic bone model she is holding.

original title La imatge prohibida
international title Forbidden image
genre Creative Documentary
length 20’
language Catalan, Spanish
countries Spain
format 16mm

director Maria Besora Barti
producers André Robert
production companies Malcriada Films

with support from
Col·legi de Fisioterapeutes de Catalunya
Centre Jove d'Atenció a les Sexualitats

presented at
DocsBarcelona Talents 2024

keywords
female sexual health, vaginismus, pelvic floor, body memory, pleasure, expanded body

logline

In an imagined consultation room, a pelvic floor physiotherapist, accompanies five women who experience vulvovaginal pain. Real conversations unfold within a fantastical consultation space, where the patients lend their voices but not their bodies. The interior of the pelvis, rendered in 3D, together with ultrasound images, proposes a new visual language that makes it possible to accept one’s own body and transform pain into pleasure.

ABOUT
THE
PROJECT

Close-up of a small animal, possibly a rodent, in a natural outdoor setting surrounded by rocks and soil.
Close-up of a person's face with lips slightly parted, showing teeth and tongue, with visible freckles and brown hair.
Ultrasound image of a female pelvis showing ovaries and uterus.

Forbidden Image is a creative documentary short film by Maria Besora Barti. Set in an imagined consultation room, the film follows Aurora, a pelvic floor physiotherapist, as she accompanies women who live with vulvovaginal pain, fear of penetration and a sense of disconnection from their bodies. Through real testimonies, 16mm, ultrasound and 3D visualization, the film seeks to make visible what is usually hidden: the path from pain toward curiosity, agency and the possibility of pleasure.

The project is produced by Malcriada Films, with Ken Wardrop as executive producer, and has been developed in dialogue with health professionals and public health allies. Its network includes the Col·legi de Fisioterapeutes de Catalunya, Centro Joven de Atención a las Sexualidades who help ground the film in clinical knowledge, care practices and spaces of public conversation around female sexual health.

Forbidden Image is currently in development and financing, with a planned premiere in 2027. We are preparing the therapeutic sessions, visual research and production design, while seeking the final partners and resources needed to complete the film. Beyond festivals, we imagine the project as a tool for dialogue in health, education and community spaces.

for PROJECT enquiries

andre@malcriadafilms.com