Aliens from the Sky tells the stories of three sex workers living in Cape Town, South Africa and the systems they must navigate in order to survive.

Interview with Director Katina Bitsicas

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Aliens from the Sky was created to advocate for the decriminalization of sex work in South Africa, through the power of storytelling. By sharing the stories of three sex workers and the challenges they face confronting police corruption, I aim to spread awareness in an artistic way about the issues this community faces and to promote change through storytelling.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Outside of South Africa, the issue of police corruption as it pertains to daily interactions with sex workers is unknown. Despite ongoing efforts to tackle police corruption in South Africa, it remains rife and adversely affects the country economically, socially and politically. The buying and selling of sex services and all related activities are criminalized in South Africa. The criminalization of sex work means that sex workers are frequently in conflict with the law and compelled to engage with the criminal justice system. The criminalization of sex work marginalizes sex workers by placing them in a powerless position in society. They are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation and are unlikely to report crimes and human rights violations perpetrated against them. This is especially true for trans and female sex workers. This film will hopefully spread awareness of the issues they face in order to promote legal change.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

While this film does not reflect my personal lived experience, it does very directly share the lived experience of the participants in the film. These issues of police corruption do not only pertain to this specific community, but many communities throughout the world. This is why this film remains important to continue illuminating these stories.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I received the grant to create this film in 2019 and was scheduled to travel to conduct interviews and film in 2020, however, the pandemic pushed this back to 2022. So, in the summer of 2022, I traveled to Cape Town, South Africa in collaboration with the University of Western Cape and the NGO SWEAT (Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Task Force) to utilize Digital Storytelling tools to aid this marginalized population in telling their story to the public, including the issues they have faced when confronting the police. These interviews and the personal relationships I formed resulted in Aliens from the Sky. I have since developed an art gallery installation version of the film, to further spread awareness in different venues.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

These screenings coming up in October and November are some of the first large screenings of the film, so I am excited to hear what the audience thinks. This film premiered at the San Francisco Bay Area Sex Workers Film Festival and will screen at the Red Umbrella Film Festival, Ireland's first sex worker film festival. Having both of these festivals screen this film is so special, since it is playing to the audience that this film is made for and about. So, acceptance by the sex worker community was so important to me.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Again, I am looking to further amplify these voices and to build support to make legal changes to decriminalize sex work. I hope to have this film screened in even more festivals and venues, as well as travel the art installation version of this project.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I would love film festival directors to continue to program this film, and for journalists to become aware of this film's message to share this message and film widely.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How can we shift the social narrative around sex work?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm working on a new project called Glyphosate Dreams that visually translates this deadly herbicide into chemically deteriorated images and an interactive XR documentary reflecting on its consequences to body and land.

Interview: October 2023

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Aliens from the Sky

Aliens from the Sky tells the stories of three sex workers living in Cape Town, South Africa and the systems they must navigate in order to survive.

Length: 12:16

Director: Katina Bitsicas

About the writer, director and producer:

KATINA BITSICAS is a new media artist who utilizes video, photography, and performance in her artworks to explore grief, loss, trauma and memory. She has exhibited worldwide, including The Armory Show, PULSE Art Fair, Satellite Art Fair, Superchief Gallery NFT, the Wheaton Biennial curated by Legacy Russell, CADAF: Digital Art Month Paris, Torrance Art Museum, HereArt in New York, Art in Odd Places in Orlando, Digital Graffiti Festival, and the St. Louis International Film Festival. In 2022, her artist book Luci: The Girl with Four Hearts was published with Flower Press. She received her BA from Kalamazoo College, Post-Bacc from SACI in Florence, Italy, and MFA from the University of South Florida. She is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Digital Storytelling at the University of Missouri, where she also conducts research with the MU School of Medicine on utilizing digital storytelling as a meaning-making intervention for bereaved family members.

Key cast: Chantelle Van Wyk, Shillah Cele, Regina Petersen

Looking for: film festival directors, journalists

Instagram: @katinabitsicas

Hashtags used: #sexwork #sexworkerart #sexworker #southafrica #humanrights #experimentaldocumentary #policecorruption #advocacy

Website: katinabitsicas.com/aliens-from-the-sky

Made in association with: Abby Blenk (animator) and Cherith Sanger (Production manager)

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Indie Memphis Film Festival/Memphis, TN-October 26; Red Umbrella Film Festival/Dublin, Ireland-October 21; St. Louis International Film Festival/St. Louis, MO-November 16