Department of Theatre and Dance lecturer recognized at International Film Festival

"Tightly Wound" writer, producer and director Shelby Hadden

Shelby Hadden, a lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance, won the Doc’Anim 2018 competition at the Animatou International Festival with her documentary Tightly Wound. She was presented with the award in mid-October in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Tightly Wound is a 10-minute, 2D animated documentary film about Hadden’s experience with vaginismus, a pelvic floor dysfunction that left her feeling isolated and in chronic pain. The film began as an essay, written for a Feminism in Creative Nonfiction class, as a part of her M.F.A. program at The University of Texas at Austin, and was later published in BUST Magazine.

“When I first came up with the idea, I still hadn't told many people about the condition," Hadden said in an interview with The Austin Chronicle. She went on to discuss the impact the film has had on others with pelvic floor dysfunction, "This is such an isolating, lonely condition. So, there is a lot of relief when people find out it is not a secret, and can say, 'Thank God I'm not alone.’ ”

Tightly Wound has been featured in 16 film festivals, both nationally and internationally. The film has received five total awards including the 2018 Best Texas Film at Flicks by Chicks Film Festival and the 2016 and 2018 Austin Film Society Production Grants. You can view the full film on YouTube, or find more information on Shelby’s website.