Feature by Alumna Selected for Cinephilia Productions' 2021 Film Development Workroom

Yasmine/Jasmine, a feature project written by alumna Yossera Bouchtia '19, was selected to participate in Cinephilia Productions' 2021 Film Development Workroom. Cinephilia Film Development Workroom is designed to offer a unique experience for both emerging and professional film and television writers. 

During the four week sessions, writers are guided through the process of developing a narrative screenplay using hands-on exercises, creating project decks, and training to pitch. Writers can expect to have a developed draft of their screenplay, a project pitch deck, and industry insights at the end of the workshop.

Yasmine/Jasmine is about a grieving daughter who must contend with haunting visitations from her doppelganger, after the sudden and mysterious death of her mother. The visitations are a generational curse, and she must spare no effort to put an end to the curse. 

Yossera Bouchtia is a Moroccan-American drama and thriller screenwriter/director, whose work is committed to challenging stereotypes, dispelling misconceptions and shedding light on hidden truths, while bridging the gap between the eastern and western worlds. Bouchtia received her MFA in Film Directing from Columbia University in New York City and both a BS in Psychology and a BA in Cinema from Virginia Commonwealth University. 

Bouchtia’s narrative short films have screened at the Salento International Film Festival, LA Shorts Fest, Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, FilmShop Breakthrough Series, and Women’s International Film Festival in Salé, Morocco. Yossera is currently based in Virginia and is an Assistant Professor of Cinema at VCU School of the Arts.