Laura Bispuri will examine the complex relationships between mothers and daughters as well as adoptive and biological parents in her next film. Per Variety, the “Sworn Virgin” director is set to helm “Daughter of Mine,” a drama about a 10-year-old girl caught between her adoptive and biological mothers. “Sworn Virgin” star Alba Rohrwacher and Valeria Golino (“Respiro”) will topline the project.
“Daughter of Mine” will be presented via three different perspectives: the daughter’s, the adoptive mother’s (Golino), and the biological mother’s (Rohrwacher). “It’s a triangle between these three women whose lives are inextricably tied,” Bispuri told Variety. “A journey of mutual understanding and acceptance and also of changing female identities, which are themes that are dear to me.”
Bispuri made her feature film debut with “Sworn Virgin,” the story of a young Albanian woman maintaining her virginity and living as a man — named Mark — in order to enjoy Albanian men’s rights. The film follows Mark and his decision to travel to Italy and live as a woman again. “Sworn Virgin” won the Nora Ephron Prize at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
“I advise sincerity when you choose a story, a personal adherence to the project,” Bispuri recommended to female directors in an interview with Women and Hollywood. “I also advise trying to deepen the female characters because for too many years, they have been relegated to the margins of the story.” Happily, Bispuri is following her own advice and bringing three distinct female characters front and center in “Daughter of Mine.”
Principal photography for the film will kick off in Sardinia in early June and production company The Match Factory will initiate international pre-sales at Cannes. Vivo Film — the company behind “Sworn Virgin” — will produce alongside Colorado Film, The Match Factory, and Bord Cadre Films. Rai Cinema is financing “Daughter of Mine,” as is Italy’s culture ministry and the Sardinia Film Commission.