VOICES OF VIOLENCE

Afilm about the unimaginable violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo and about the political and social system that casts a blind eye on these atrocities. In a country where women are systematically exposed to the brutal practice of rape as a weapon of war, Claudia Schmid gives unknown women a voice and reveals how the structures of violence work in all their facets. She spent several months travelling through the country, meeting women in the most remote villages of the rebel territories and winning their trust. In the course of long, intense talks, the women disclose their traumatic experiences for the very first time.

Director

CLAUDIA SCHMID was born in Cologne in 1956 and studied Painting, Sculpture and Concept Art in Vienna and Düsseldorf. A freelance director since 1991, her films include: THE SILENCE OF INNOCENCE (2009) — a portrait about the artist Gottfried Helnwein, the documentary about Heinz Emigholz THE REDRAWN WORLD (2009), RICHARD DEACON — IN BETWEEN (2013) and VOICES OF VIOLENCE (2015).

Claudia Schmid photos © Bildersturm Filmproduktion/Heike Frielingsdorf