SYBILLA PATRIZIA
Filmmaker. Producer.
The stigmatisation of menstruation in Japanese society, the struggles of the Tibetan diaspora in northern India, our global plastic problem and the LGBTQ+ community in Tokyo - these are just some of the wide range of social, cultural and political issues that Austrian filmmaker and photographer Sybilla Patrizia addresses in her internationally successful work. Sybilla's documentary 'A Bloody Taboo' about the stigmatisation of menstruation in Japan premiered at Tokyo Docs and the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, while her film 'Uncensored' aired on the Emmy award-winning series 'VICE' on Showtime. Her work has previously been published by the BBC, VICE, AnOther Magazine, adidas, Financial Times and Amazon Prime.
Sybilla Patrizia
“Don’t follow a career path, create one.”
Sybilla Patrizia is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and photographer from Austria, based in Tokyo. In her work, she merges her passion for social impact and human stories with her background in fashion to create thought-provoking stories that cross the border between documentary, art and design. Her short film A Color I Named Blue about two Japanese indigo dyers premiered in competition at Sheffield DocFest, Palm Springs, and DOC NYC where it received a special mention in 2025. The film also premiered at the Barbican's film season in 2026. Sybilla filmed VICE's The Dark Side of Manga, which won a News & Documentary Emmy in 2023. She also served as Japan Unit Director on Our New World, a feature documentary about communities around the world adapting to climate change, featuring Japan's Ama free divers and their fight to save disappearing seaweed beds. A Bloody Taboo, about the stigma surrounding menstruation, premiered at Ji.Hlava and Tokyo Docs in 2021. Toma Unrestored, about a couple who revives a forgotten Japanese priest house into an art space in Nara, premiered on NOWNESS in 2025. #Panel #Debate #Podium #Performer #Artist
