A restless young model spends a week exploring Japan with a documentary filmmaker, discovering the small pleasures of human life and an unexpected connection along the way. Sera comes from a world of extraordinary harmony, where life is peaceful, ordered and seemingly perfect. But for someone as curious and impulsive as Sera, perfection can be a little boring. During a week in Japan, an unnamed documentary filmmaker follows her through Tokyo and beyond. As the camera becomes part of her world, a playful friendship grows into something more difficult to define, and the approaching end of the week begins to matter.

The Filmmaker

Rob McLellan is a British writer and creative director whose short film ABE attracted international attention and a feature development deal with MGM. His career spans narrative filmmaking, previs and virtual production. My Week With Sera brings that experience to a more intimate, observational story centred on character, performance and connection.

Character over spectacle. "I've always been more interested in characters than technology." With Sera, Rob set out to see whether generative filmmaking could carry a story that depends almost entirely on character and performance. There are no battles or elaborate action sequences. Most of the film is two people talking, travelling and getting to know one another.

"A film requires continuity. Characters have to remain recognisable, environments have to make sense, and you need to be able to revisit decisions without everything falling apart. Cascade gave me a production environment in which I could develop the visual material, work through variations and build sequences while keeping the broader project organised."

Rob McLellan, Writer and Director