Boneca de Atauro

'Searching for the Lost Love’ is the first stop-motion film coming out the young nation of Timor-Leste.

On this non-stop laughter and action-packed film, the main character—a handmade rag doll called Ataurina—while looking for her abducted partner, takes us into an adventurous journey through some of the most beautiful locations in Ataúro island (a new eco-tourism paradise destination in South East Asia).

During the trip, Ataurina travels by all means encountering unexpected dangers and meeting curious characters across the island in a mission to get her loved one back. The Boneca de Ataúro (Ataúro's Doll—in Portuguese) is a well-established women cooperative producing for the last 10 years the most well-known handicraft brand in the young nation of Timor-Leste.

The cooperative produces intricately handmade embroidery dolls, handbags, toys, housewares and educational products.

Based in Ataúro island—25km north off the coast of Dili—it is one of those projects truly born out of love, passion and hard work, providing income to over 60 families in the island. The film was made totally pro-bono by award-winning filmmaker David Palazón, co-written by Karen Reidy and Swiss artist Ester Piera Zuercher (the founder) and co-produced in collaboration with the women at the cooperative.

The film played a central role as the teaser to support the cooperative’s fundraising campaign on Generosity.com, and with the objective to secure the necessary funds to support the much needed development project (emancipation, education and infrastructure) for the cooperative between 2016 and 2018.