Unpacking

Directed By Michal Sinnott and Alexandra Clayton

Six women, sold on the promise of radical transformation, travel to Bali into the hands of an influencer guru and get slapped with reality: change is messy AF.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
  • SCREENINGS
  • AWARDS
  • PRESS
  • CREDITS

UNPACKING follows influencer and wellness guru Keri Hart who selects six women in their 30’s to head to Bali for her signature ‘soul reset’ retreat. Claiming ‘isolation is the heart of our unhappiness,’ Keri and her assistant Ni Ketut lead the women through a series of unconventional and sometimes appropriative workshops designed to unpack personal issues surrounding love, boundaries, and purpose. Secrets surface and accusations fly as the women struggle and learn to embrace the ride.

Michal Sinnott is an award winning, classically trained storyteller who's work in film, television, theatre, audio spaces, & games traverses mediums, genres, & locales. Her award winning narrative feature, 'Unpacking,’ shot in Bali, screened 26 festivals worldwide (including Cinequest, Sedona, and Richmond International) and won 17 awards (Best Director, Best of the Fest, Best Narrative Feature, Best Script, Best Ensemble). 'Unpacking' is Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Roku.


As an actor, she's appeared in dozens of plays and over fifty principal/starring roles for radio, television and film, including companies/institutions as diverse as ABC, Sundance and The Whitney Museum of American Art. She’s best known as the voice, likeness and performance capture artist for Tracey De Santa, one of the main characters in the billion dollar phenomena Grand Theft Auto V. Her stage plays have received staged readings and awards in Virginia (Theater Virginia) and Los Angeles (The Blank Theatre). Her narrative feature 'YOYOs' (You're On Your Own) as a writer/producer is in Post.


She's in development on a variety of projects as a writer-director, including 'Anxiety Monster & Man Child Make Amends,' a meta scripted comedy series about the worst period of her life & a narrative feature, 'The Universe(s) of Us,' a magical realist multiverse love story. She raised first funding for 'The Universe(s) of Us' and traveled to Tanzania to shoot the opening of the film with a skeleton crew. ‘The Universe(s) of Us’ was a Sundance Screenwriting Lab second rounder, top 15% for the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, and was a recipient of Big Vision Empty Wallet’s Kickstart Diversity Program.

Sedona International Film Festival 2023

Cinequest Film & RV Festival 2023

Richmond International Film Festival 2023

Tryon International Film Festival 2022

Cyprus International Film Festival 2022

Best Production Design in a First Feature Film- the Phedon Papamichael Technical Award, Cyprus International Film Festival 2022

Rising Star Best Director Award (Michal Sinnott & Alexandra Clayton), Richmond International Film Festival Grand Jury 2023

Best Female Actor Award for Michal Sinnott (Charlotte), Jersey Shore Film Festival 2023

Audience Choice Award, NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival 2023

Best Ensemble Award, REAKTOR International Film Festival 2022

"Whited, Clayton, Sinnott, and the rest of their cast created their own characters “close-to-the-bone truths, ensuring room for vulnerable improv within the treatment for our run-and-gun shoot”. These are bold words that saw brilliant results, and Unpackin"
Movies We Texted About - Carmen Paddock
"Among the ensemble, the performances feel organic and lived-in, but what stands out most are Alexandra Clayton and Michal Sinnott themselves as Ruby and Charlotte. Their sisterly dynamic adds both humor and grounding to the film — funny in its banter and "
Just For Movie Freaks - Surya Komal
"Part of the reason for that is the efficient direction, yet a larger reason is the perceptive screenplay by Sinnott, Clayton, and Joseph Schollaert. They do spend a little time on satirizing the concept of a wellness retreat for white women, and the scrip"
About Boulder - Tim Brennan
"Unpacking is an ensemble piece, with complicated, articulate women seeking and finding resolution; the barbs aimed at women’s culture all land. This is the kind of witty, generous but also scathing and cutting film that just don’t seem to get made within "
Film Authority - Eddie Harrison
"Overall, Unpacking is an interesting exploration of change with strong performances that beautifully uses its location. Unpacking asks important questions of its cast of characters and explores issues from multiple sides, showing different viewpoints with"
Film Joy - Amanda Mazillo

Director - Writer - Producer - Actor (Charlotte) - Michal Sinnott

Director - Writer - Producer - Actor (Ruby) - Alexandra Clayton

Writer - Joseph Schollaert

Editor - Second Unit Director of Photography - Toby Rymkus

Production Designer - Assistant Director - Chelsea Bangert