Screening of the "Cascadeuses" documentary
Event details
| Date | 16.03.2026 |
| Hour | 17:30 › 20:00 |
| Speaker | Elena Avdija, Nathalie Evequoz |
| Location | |
| Category | Cultural events |
| Event Language | French, English |
On the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day 2026, the Equal Opportunities Office invites you to the screening of a film that addresses violence against women from an unexpected perspective.
Cascadeuses (2022) is a Swiss‑French documentary (subtitled in English) directed by Elena Avdija that follows three women working as professional stunt performers in the film industry: Virginie, Petra and Estelle. The film immerses viewers in their daily lives filled with falls, blows and staged violence—from flipping cars to choreographed fights—where they must endure repeated physical impacts for the needs of shoots, training sessions or action scenes, and then get back up again and again.
Through these very different portraits—the seasoned stuntwoman, the Swiss performer established in Hollywood, and the enthusiastic young apprentice—the documentary explores how the film industry very often assigns women roles as victims or mistreated bodies, while strong female heroes remain relatively rare on screen.
Cascadeuses thus questions our relationship to cinematic violence, how it is represented and valued, and sheds light on an underrepresented profession in which women’s bodies are pushed to their limits within a field that remains largely male-dominated. (Source: SWISSFILMS)
Why this film?
By making visible the fact that even in an artistic profession, women are often confined to roles as victims or mistreated bodies, the film opens up a space for reflection on the cultural normalization of gender‑based violence and the gender stereotypes that underpin these representations.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with director Elena Avdija, and with Nathalie Evequoz, Project Officer for the Prevention of and Fight Against Domestic Violence for the Canton of Vaud.
In the context of International Women’s Rights Day, this conversation offers a space to put words to and question the cultural mechanisms that make certain forms of violence visible, acceptable or invisible.
The evening will conclude with an aperitif.
Cascadeuses (2022) is a Swiss‑French documentary (subtitled in English) directed by Elena Avdija that follows three women working as professional stunt performers in the film industry: Virginie, Petra and Estelle. The film immerses viewers in their daily lives filled with falls, blows and staged violence—from flipping cars to choreographed fights—where they must endure repeated physical impacts for the needs of shoots, training sessions or action scenes, and then get back up again and again.
Through these very different portraits—the seasoned stuntwoman, the Swiss performer established in Hollywood, and the enthusiastic young apprentice—the documentary explores how the film industry very often assigns women roles as victims or mistreated bodies, while strong female heroes remain relatively rare on screen.
Cascadeuses thus questions our relationship to cinematic violence, how it is represented and valued, and sheds light on an underrepresented profession in which women’s bodies are pushed to their limits within a field that remains largely male-dominated. (Source: SWISSFILMS)
Why this film?
By making visible the fact that even in an artistic profession, women are often confined to roles as victims or mistreated bodies, the film opens up a space for reflection on the cultural normalization of gender‑based violence and the gender stereotypes that underpin these representations.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with director Elena Avdija, and with Nathalie Evequoz, Project Officer for the Prevention of and Fight Against Domestic Violence for the Canton of Vaud.
In the context of International Women’s Rights Day, this conversation offers a space to put words to and question the cultural mechanisms that make certain forms of violence visible, acceptable or invisible.
The evening will conclude with an aperitif.
Links
Practical information
- General public
- Registration required
Organizer
- Bureau de l'égalité (VPH-WINC-DEI)