Documentarian Selina Miles has crafted a filmography that gives space to women's voices and stories. From her debut feature, Martha: A Picture Story, which took us into the world of street art, to the stunning Harley & Katya which explored the relationship between figure skaters Harley Windsor and Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya, to her latest film, Silenced, which urges audiences to listen to the voices of women from around the world who have been victims of sexual violence, advocates for victims, or lawyers representing many women around the world, seeking justice in an unjust legal system. Women like Brittany Higgins, Amber Heard, journalist and activist Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, and lawyers and human rights advocates like Jennifer Robinson and Sibongile Ndashe, each speak to their experience of fighting through legal systems that seek to silence and dehumanise their experiences.
While we hear from these women, there are countless others whose stories inform Silenced, but through legal measures or fear of further legal action, they simply cannot or are not able to talk about their stories.
There's an immediacy to Silenced, one that feels as alarming and devastating when you look at the statistics of violence against women in Australia alone. At time of recording, 49 women in Australia have been killed so far this year. A recent report from the University of Melbourne found that 'young people are significantly more likely than older generations to hold hostile attitudes towards women'. This is not an isolated issue. It is a wide reaching issue that sits with all men to address.
Gender based violence across the globe is rising, and as we see in Silenced, the path to legal justice is one that's fraught with difficulties, disbelief, and personal costs that often leave the women undertaking legal proceedings in more precarious and difficult situations. For some women, they feel that remaining silent would have been the better option.
Silenced is a towering work of emotionality and strength. It's a testament to the resilience of those who experience gender based violence and the support given to them as they move through legal proceedings and attempt to get their lives back to some point of normalcy. This is, quite simply, vital filmmaking.
In the following interview, producer Blayke Hoffman talks about the importance of a film like Silenced, how she navigated the legal pathways through making the film, while also talking about the films impact campaign and the Q&A sessions being held around Australia from 1 September onwards.
To find out more, visit Silenced-Film.com:
Read more about the University of Melbourne research here:
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