Silent war

Manon Loizeau

Geopolitics | 82mn | Arte | 2017

A harrowing and important film by acclaimed director, Manon Loizeau, on the use of rape as a weapon of war in Syria with personal testimonies from women abused in captivity.

The perpetrators rely on the silence of the victims who risk rejection by their own family and even a death sentence if they speak out.

These women’s stories are painful to hear. Held in basements and prisons and repeatedly raped by their captors for having committed “crimes,” such as participating in peaceful demonstrations, they have nowhere to turn.

If they speak about what they suffered they might lose everything.

Their family, their clan and maybe even their life because they risk ‘honour killings’. Women who have been raped or suspected of having been raped are not only stigmatized and excluded but they can also be killed, including by members of their family.

Extrait

Silent war
A film by Manon Loizeau
Production: Magneto Presse
Duration: 82 min
Aired 12 december 2017 on France 2

Grand Prix de l’Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT)
Festival du Film et Forum International sur les Droits Humains de Genève 2017
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Mention spéciale au 69^e Prix Italia
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Prix Leipziger Ring (prix du public) au festival DOK Leipzig
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Grand Prix Enjeux méditerranéens – PriMed 2017
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Mention spéciale pour le prix EDWARD SNOWDEN
XV^e festival International Signos de la Noite, à Lisbonne
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Prix spécial du jury Compétition Internationale + de 40 min
FIGRA 2018 – Saint-Omer