The Australian documentary Silenced has its Spanish premiere on 18 September in Chiclana de la Frontera The screening is scheduled for 18:00 at the Teatro Moderno and is part of the festival GENERAMMA, which runs this year from 15 to 19 September in the city on the Bay of Cádiz.
Silenced is by director Selina Miles. According to the production, the film explores the experiences of survivors of sexual violence and the work of their legal advocates. At its centre is the internationally active human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson. It focuses in particular on how defamation laws are used in different countries against women who speak publicly about abuse.
The festival organisers present the Spanish premiere as a statement of intent. GENERAMMA describes itself as a festival showing films made exclusively by women and committed to raising the profile of women in the industry. Director Cristina Consuegra stresses that there can be no “equidistance” when it comes to sexism, gender-based violence and violations of rights. This year’s programme explores themes including memory, care, territory and the future, and brings together work by established and emerging filmmakers.
The festival will close with a work by former Spanish culture minister and screenwriter Ángeles González-Sinde : her film Después de Kim closes the edition in Chiclana. GENERAMMA thus combines premieres and retrospectives to engage with current social debates through film.
Silenced’s Spanish premiere comes amid an ongoing legal and social debate about sexual violence, defamation and the protection of victims. The film depicts the use of civil law measures that threaten to suppress public accounts by those affected. Such mechanisms are assessed and restricted differently across legal systems. In Spain, specific legal consequences can only be assessed on a case-by-case basis; the festival primarily provides a cultural setting for public discussion.
GENERAMMA is organised in Chiclana de la Frontera by a local team and supported by regional institutions. The organisers see the decision to present Silenced as a Spanish premiere as part of a long-term commitment to advancing women’s rights, making survivors visible and engaging audiences in a nuanced discussion of abuse of power in the audiovisual sector.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).