The Sessions

Sien Versteyhe / Belgium / 2025 / Czech Premiere / 71 min.

synopsis

An intimate portrait of an eighteen-year-old girl with a concealed identity who has endured sexual violence and seeks a way forward with the help of therapists. Traumatised by rape, she finds support in sessions with experienced therapists. Gradually, she reclaims her life, gains confidence and prepares to confront reality. That confrontation takes the form of a trial, in which she must once again revisit the paralysing assault in depth. Both symbolically and literally, she regains her lost voice – one that may transform how she comes to terms with the past and change the lives of thousands of young girls who have endured similar experiences.

“We both know what happened. But I want you to know what happened to me afterwards.”

biography

Sien Versteyhe (1981) is a documentary filmmaker from Ghent, Belgium. She studied audiovisual arts at RITCS, specialising in artistic practice. She has made several short and medium-length films (Junior, Can a Man Change the City, Reset). Her feature-length debut, The Session, screened at IDFA in Amsterdam.

film details

director:	Sien Versteyhe
producer:	Wouter Sap
script:	Sien Versteyhe
editing:	Dieter Diependaele
sound design:	Thomas Vertongen
co-producer:	Simon Vrebos (VRT)
executive producer:	Wouter Sap
composer:	Patricia Vanneste