Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival » The Greatest Silence

Tonight’s Film: ‘The Greatest Silence’ with Brad MacIntosh, Vice-Chair, SAFER

julie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:30:46 +0000

Brad MacIntosh, Vice Chair of SAFER (Social Aid for the Elimination of Rape) and a researcher at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital introduces tonight’s film, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo.
Dr. MacIntosh has been working since 2006 to end sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through the purchase and donation of supplies to Panzi Hospital in South Kivu province not far from the Rwanda border. The hospital is the only one in the region that performs fistula repair operations, a unfortunate aftermath of violent sexual assaults.

Lisa F. Jackson’s film documents the uncountable casualties of the brutal war that has been raging in the DRC : the many tens of thousands of women and girls who have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army. Jackson spent 2006 in the war zones of eastern DRC documenting the tragic plight of women and girls in that country’s intractable conflict. She was afforded privileged access to not only the grotesque realities of life in Congo (including interviews with self-confessed rapists) but also to examples of resiliency, resistance, courage and grace.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo received a “Special Jury Award” at The 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo follows a screening of the documentary film, Tapologo, at 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the TIFFG Box Office at 416-968-FILM or toll-free 1-877-968-FILM. Tickets can also be purchased online at tiff.net/cinematheque or in person at the theatre.

Video: Talking Stick TV Interview With Lisa F. Jackson

julie — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:00:12 +0000

A lengthy radio interview with director Lisa F. Jackson, director of The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, for Talking Stick TV. Jackson discusses her own gang rape as a young woman living in Washington, DC. and how that influenced her relationships with the many women interviewed for the film.

Jackson was able to interview not only the victims of this silent war but also the perpetrators. Many of the problems began after the Rwandan civil war when Hutu militia crossed the border. It has since become a strategy of war. This is compounded by a culture of impunity where most of the rapes go unpunished.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo screens Tuesday, March 2nd, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Buy your tickets to The Greatest Silence.

Video: Congolese Soldiers And Rape

julie — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:00:22 +0000

An excerpt from Lisa F. Jackson’s documentary film, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, in which Congolese soldiers talk about the tribal motivations behind the systematic rape of female civilians in the Eastern Congo. For many, rape is a powerful magic, which makes them stronger in battle. Several of the soldiers confessed to raping more than 10 women but concluded that their actions were far less serious than those of Hutu militia living in the forests.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo screens Tuesday, March 2nd, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Buy your tickets to The Greatest Silence.

Video: Interview With Lisa F. Jackson, ‘The Greatest Silence’

julie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:00:30 +0000

Sundance Channel “Meet The Director” interview with Lisa F. Jackson, director of The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo.

The film’s website has an outreach page with a reading list for those who want to know more, links to organizations working in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where donations can be made, and a downloadable “how to help” one-pager.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo screens Tuesday, March 2nd, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Buy your tickets to The Greatest Silence.

The Greatest Silence: Program Notes

julie — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:37:08 +0000

Breaking through barriers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reveals the ravages of a decade-long civil war. The myriad of casualties is overwhelming, but most disturbing is when victims remain silent and invisible.

While some documentaries address humanitarian issues from a distance, the most powerful provide a direct voice from survivors who are willing to recount their stories. The Greatest Silence shares the intimate, harrowing, and unfathomable stories of many women who have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated, and tortured by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army.

Emmy Award-winning director Lisa F. Jackson spent a year in the war zones of eastern DRC, gaining the trust of many participants during her travels to hospitals, shelters, and remote jungle villages.What sets her film apart is her willingness to approach soldiers from the Congolese army who recount their horrendous acts and appear to lack any remorse or accountability.

Jackson’s own history as a rape survivor brings her closer to her subjects, while their testimony shows their strength, dignity and perseverance to move forward in their lives and not hide in the shadows of their terror.

Program Notes by Alex Rogalski