THE FIRST DRESS

A FEATURE FILM BY WRITER & DIRECTOR Melissa Anastasi PRODUCERS Rebecca Barry, Deanne Weir & Bernadette Murray

Developed through the Venice Biennale College Cinema Lab, 2021 

Stage:  Development & Financing

The First Dress is an intimate, personal feature about first love and first heartbreak, tracking themes of female desire and sexuality, set within the diaspora communities of south-western Sydney. The film follows an unexpected romance between two women from different worlds — Mina, a Cypriot-Australian, and Leyla, an older a Lebanese migrant — who meet when Leyla is seeking out a custom-made wedding dress. As Leyla's wedding day approaches, Mina must choose between fighting for the relationship or walking away.