A groundbreaking African feature, 1 Woman 1 Bra, has been selected as one of four global projects to receive a €200,000 production grant from the Biennale College Cinema 2024/2025 program, securing its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September 2025.
Written and directed by Kenyan filmmaker Vincho Nchogu in her feature debut, and produced by Nigerian filmmaker Josh Olaoluwa, the film tells the story of a woman navigating life after a mastectomy. Through a mix of humour and poignancy, the character embarks on a quest to find the perfect bra while reclaiming her identity in a society that often ignores such deeply personal experiences.
Selected from more than 200 submissions worldwide, the project was first shortlisted among 12 and later chosen as one of the final four following a rigorous training program. The Biennale College Cinema initiative, backed by La Biennale di Venezia and international partners, is known for spotlighting bold voices in independent filmmaking.
For Nchogu, the film marks not only her directorial debut but also an artistic statement about gender, body image, and self-love through an African lens. For Olaoluwa, whose career spans celebrated projects on Netflix and Amazon Prime, the milestone continues his commitment to global storytelling rooted in African realities.
The duo’s collaboration began at Red Sea Labs in 2023 and was further developed at the Torino Film Lab, where they refined the project before its Venice breakthrough. Their selection places African cinema alongside other international projects vying for global recognition at one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.
The Venice premiere, scheduled for August 27 to September 6, 2025, positions 1 Woman 1 Bra as a landmark for African storytelling.
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