Confessions of a Female Gamer explores the unexpected ways fictional characters can shape our identities and real lives. The film grew out of filmmaker and actress Dolya Gavanski’s own unusual relationship with Zarya - the character she voices in the global video-game phenomenon Overwatch, known as the “strongest woman in the world”. The film received several awards and industry support during its making, including Women Make Movies Production Assistance and a residency at the Jacob Burns Film Center, and was selected and developed at the Documentary Campus Masterschool.

TYPE: Feature

GENRE: Documentary

STATUS: Post production

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Dolya Gavanski

PRODUCER: Martichka Bozhilova (Agitprop)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Keisha Knight

ACCOLADES

Sheffield Meet Market; Barcelona Docs Pitch Forum; Sunny Side Pitch Award; Artist-in-Residency Program Award, Jacob Burns Film Centre and Women Make Movies; East Doc Platform Award; Hot Docs Deal Maker; Beldocs Pitching Forum, Impronta Films Consultancy Award

LOGLINE

An actress, reluctantly cast as a voice of a cult character in a smash-hit video game, becomes an unlikely heroine for female gamers around the world - and uncovers the battles unfolding in their lives.

SYNOPSIS

At home, I’m Dolya Gavanski - actress, filmmaker and mother to a son whose gaming obsession drives me crazy. But for over 35 million people, I’m the voice of Zarya – the “strongest woman in the world” from the smash-hit game Overwatch. What began as a simple acting job pulled me into the vibrant, often chaotic world of gaming fandom — a world I knew little about until I became involved in a campaign confronting the widespread abuse faced by female gamers online. Listening to their stories made me question the world I’d lent my voice to, and think about the millions of women choosing to inhabit it. I reached out to them and they invited me - or rather Zarya - into their lives.

From England to Finland, Germany to Bulgaria, and across the United States, I meet women for whom gaming is far more than a hobby — it is a lifeline. Battling cultural, societal and family pressures, they’ve been ‘othered’ by a world that doesn’t fully see them. The game helps them rewrite their narratives, form connections, fall in love and find agency. Over time, I began to see that Zarya - a fierce, powerful character occupying the frontline role in a shooter game traditionally dominated by men - has become a symbol of their resilience and empowerment.

When a serious health scare threatens my voice — the thing that connects me to these women — everything changes. As I fight to regain my voice and become myself — and Zarya — again, their lives continue to unfold in unexpected directions. How much of the strength found in a fictional character can we carry into the real world?

WATCH TRAILER

Women’s Day, includes personal testimonies by extraordinary women born in the USSR. Intimate, yet epic in its scale, researched in-depth and filmed over three years - this is the untold history of women in Russia and beyond. This creative feature documentary has won prizes in numerous festivals and has been distributed internationally. It also had a special screening at various cultural and educational institutions, such as Harvard University.

Purchase or rent Women’s Day on Sky, iTunes

The award winning feature documentary on Ukraine, Golos: Ukrainian Voices, takes us on a journey to Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa and the village Drabiv post Maidan protests in 2014, to to to explore the country’s identity through its national holidays.

Rent Golos: Ukrainian Voices here.