Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. Donate today and help bring Aria to life.
 

Logline

A young woman in New York City seeks out medical help after an intimate encounter turns harrowing.

Synopsis

*TRIGGER WARNING*

At the end of a friendly late evening workout, ARIA (25) and DAVI (25), fall into bed together. They agree to have protected sex and they’re both enthusiastic about the encounter, until Aria notices, after the fact, that Davi has removed the condom.

Upset by Davi’s deceit, Aria heads home without confronting him. In the morning, her confusion and worry spiral into increasing anxiety and physical discomfort. A few days later, the pain escalates. At dawn, Aria is frantically searching for affordable gynecological care. She finds herself harassed by an anti-abortion activist, at a clinic that can’t see her because the demand is too high, and finally in an emergency room. Alone and scared, she experiences a panic attack that spikes when a DOCTOR tells her that she has contracted a sexually transmitted infection.
The doctor, also a woman, offers comfort and reassurance, but inadvertently judges the young woman. When Aria angrily tells the doctor that Davi removed the condom, Aria learns that, unfortunately, this behavior, known as stealthing, is nothing out of the ordinary to the doctor. She sees it all the time. Aria staggers out into the city, shocked by this new knowledge. How can this be?
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Federica Belletti – Writer/Director
Federica Belletti is a filmmaker originally from Italy, based in New York. She was a Location Manager on TAPE, ITALIAN STUDIES, DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD, and worked as Assistant to producers Anna Gerb and Neal Dodson (TRIPLE FRONTIERS). Federica has produced twelve award-winning narrative shorts that played at 150+ festivals worldwide, including SXSW, the Hamptons Film Festival, Montclair Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival. Amongst them, REFUGE  sold to The New Yorker Magazine in 2022 and AYAAN was long-listed for an Academy Award® in 2023. Currently, Federica produces for Film Manufacturers Inc, is in post-production with KEEP IT OPEN by Lucy Teitler and PINK FLAGS by Misha Calvert. She is a graduate of the Columbia University MFA Producing Program, an alumna of the Tribeca Film Institute as well as BAFTA Los Angeles.

Nina Cochran – Producer
Nina Cochran is a Producer based in New York. After earning a BA in Art History at Williams College, she worked as Literary Assistant to novelist John Irving (The Cider House Rules, for which he also won the Academy Award). Nina was a freelance photojournalist at the New York Daily News and Hartford Courant. She worked on The King of Staten Island, Marry Me, while also producing a number of short films, music videos, and commercials. She was a producer on Lump, a forthcoming feature by Alexandre Rockwell. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Producing at Columbia University.

Mahak Jiwani – Producer
Mahak Jiwani is a Creative Executive at Jigsaw Productions. Originally from Pakistan, in 2019 she produced DARLING which won the Best Short Film Orizzonti Award at the Venice Film Festival. She on Alex Gibney’s THE FOREVER PRISONER (News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary). Her previous films include: PREMONICIÓN, YUME, HORIZON, and CONGRATULATIONS. Her work has received support from Focus Features and IFP. She is a BAFTA newcomer member and a graduate of the Creative Producing program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts.

Erin Collet – Actor
Erin Collet is a Director of Photography based out of New York and Sydney, Australia. One recent project that was very touching is a short called Lifeline: A Doctor’s Commitment to 9/11 First Responders, which earned a New York Emmy Award in 2022. He brings a unique blend of glitter docs-style imagery with the cinematic, narrative driven roots of his education. Having worked with mentors such as director Jane Campion, writer Gerard Lee, and director John Curran on projects for HBO, BBC and Sundance, Erin brings his unique style and creative voice to commercial and narrative projects around the world.

Make a donation to Aria.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.