Upcoming Animated Short Looks to Celebrate Female Self-Pleasure and Sex-Positivity3 min read

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Singapore-based filmmakers Olivia Griselda and Sarah Cheok are looking to spark conversations around sex-positivity and break down prejudices around female self-pleasure with their new animated short She and Her Good Vibrations.

Expected to be completed by October 2022, the animated comedy follows a stressed-out, overworked woman who discovers the wonders of a vibrator, but she soon becomes addicted and loses touch with reality.

To make She and Her Good Vibrations a reality, the filmmakers have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds. Support for the film has been overwhelming, with the campaign raising over $6,000 so far out of the $8,000 goal.

The Kickstarter campaign ends on 10 December 2021 — find out more and lend your support at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oliviagriselda/she-and-her-good-vibrations-an-animation-comedy-short-film

Give the team a follow on Instagram for all the latest updates on She and Her Good Vibrations.

---

On why she’s making the film, Sarah feels that it’s important to tackle the taboos around
sexuality and female self-pleasure, especially in Singapore and the Asian region.

“There’s not many films or animations from Asia that have dealt with this topic,” notes
Sarah. “What makes this film even more unique is that it’s directed by two women and
explores sexuality from a female point of view. We need to hear more female voices in
the film and animation industry.”

The film is inspired by Olivia’s mishap with her vibrator. “A few years ago, a friend from
the university gave me a vibrator, and I got hooked to it until it broke down one month
later,” says Olivia. “I felt so embarrassed by this story that I couldn’t share it with my close friends then because I didn’t want to be judged as sexually promiscuous.”

Two years after the mishap, Olivia found the courage to share the story with an audience
of 30 people in a real-story showcase in the acting studio Haque Centre of Acting and
Creativity (HCAC) in Singapore.

“The audience was laughing so hard, especially the women. And after the show, some
women even came up to me and shared that they own vibrators too, but they’ve never
told anyone about them,” says Olivia.

Encouraged by the positive response, Olivia pitched the film in Animated Visions: Story
Development Lab 2020 co-organised by *SCAPE and Singapore-based animation festival
Cartoons Underground. The Lab was a two-day workshop that taught participants how to develop their stories and secure financial backing for their animation projects. Olivia’s
pitch wowed the judges and ended up winning the Best Pitch award.

The Lab also led Olivia to meet the film’s co-director Sarah for the first time. Sarah was
sitting on the pitch session’s judging panel.

“When Olivia first pitched the story, I felt it was super fun and wacky. It intrigued me a
lot,” says Sarah. “Through animation, we can use surrealist humour and exaggerations to push the visual metaphors of her pleasure. For instance, when Jane (the film’s
protagonist) is pleasuring herself, she imagines herself being on a twisty rollercoaster. In
another instance, she pictures herself blasting into space and bouncing off planets.”

Olivia feels that the story is important to tell, especially for women. “Through this film, we hope to break down prejudices against female masturbation and spark conversations
around it. We shouldn’t feel guilty or embarrassed discussing it,” says Olivia.

In the Lab, the co-directors also met animation filmmaker Jerrold Chong, who will be producing the film. Jerrold recently co-directed the music video of the National Day
Parade (NDP) 2021 theme song “The Road Ahead”.