Dora, a talented, ambitious woman breaks barriers, defies expectations and social norms to become Europe’s most prolific photographer in the beginning of the 20th century.
D’Ora is a historic drama series inspired by the life of one of Europe’s first famous female photographers: Dora Kallmus aka Madame D’Ora.
Born in Vienna at the end of the 19th century, Dora is determined to pursue a career as a photographer and fight her way to the top of the field at all costs. Initially supported by her father, Philip, she now has six months to make the studio a success before her father withdraws his support. Should she fail Dora risks being married off by her stern grandmother Sarah and having to end her relationship with her married lover Esté, who keeps promising to leave his wife. In addition Dora needs to succeed in order to financially support not only herself but also her younger sister Anna, who suffers from social anxiety and for whom marriage would mean a life time of suffering. Dora will not only have to break the rules of stiff Viennese society, but she will have to pave her own way to build a career and a name for herself. Her ambition, quick rise and ruthlessness will catapult her to the top but will also hurt the people closest to her in the process.
D’Ora will explore the themes of legacy, love, gender inequality and family against the background of a fast changing, tormented Europe in the first half of the 20th century.
Kat Rohrer is an award winning filmmaker, who has produced, written and directed both narrative films and documentaries, as well as a wide variety of industrial films and commercials.
Her short film, The Search, won Best Short at the 2005, LA Femme Film Festival. Her 2011 short film, Wantless, was selected for the 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival. Kat has also been the Director of Photography on several feature-length documentaries.
Her first feature documentary, Fatal Promises, an in-depth probe of human trafficking, has been show across the US and Europe in multiple film festivals. Kat’s feature length documentary, Back to the Fatherland, was screened in festivals world wide and has been theatrically released in Austria, German, and the United States and aired on TV in Austria, Sweden, Finnland, Germany and Israel. Kat’s 2022 short film “Roads Not Taken” travelled the festival circuit, winning several awards. Her debut feature film What a Feeling had its world premiere at BFI Flare in March of 2024 and continues to screen at festivals around the globe including Diagonale 2024, Frameline 48, New Fest, Vancouver LGBTQ Film Festival and many more where it continues to wow audiences and win awards. The film was released in Germany in the fall of 2024 and has been playing in cinemas for 40 weeks. She is currently developing two TV series with which she has attended the 2023 Torino Next Series Lab as well as the 2023 HerArts Film Lab with her projects.
