16 March – 6 pm
Me Too
The “Me Too” movement has been a milestone in raising awareness about sexual violence. With its origins in the work of activist Tarana Burke, and then popularized by actor Alyssa Milano, the movement has sparked important discussions about the methods of sexual assault and harassment, their connections to power, and the urgent need for cultural change.
Although Burke began using the phrase “me too” to encourage victims/survivors of sexual violence to find “empowerment through empathy” in their own communities, and Milano used it to demand a transparent discussion about the extent of male violence in Hollywood, both activists emphasized that victims/survivors are not alone and offered them a platform of collective support.
This VWFF short film category, however, focuses on the moments when victims/survivors become aware
of their condition as such; the key phase when there is an awakening and they are finally able to respond to the violence and choose their own destiny.
Through a careful selection of short films, this category seeks to present stories of women who face different forms of violence and find the courage to reclaim their own power and dignity.
With this selection, we invite audiences to reflect on the importance of recognizing abuse, breaking the silence, and taking action to heal. In a world where sexual violence is still a reality, it is crucial to support and amplify the voices of victims/survivors. These voices are the inspiration for lasting cultural change in our communities and societies.
(Barbara Bielitz, curator)
Selected short films
Dance In Circles
by Yuming Zhang, USA (8.55’’)
Two women dance a duet piece together, exploring their collective traumatic experiences through their movements.
The One-Way Ticket
by Melika Rezapour, Germany (10.11’’)
A German-Iranian coproduction. The story is being narrated from Taha’s POV, a six-year old boy, who has been raised by a misogynist father and lives in a society where women have no freedom of choice. He finds out that his sister wants to escape with her lover. Now the decision is his whether to reveal the secret to his father or not.
Mature
by Gina Carroccia, Germany (5.44’’)
A young girl sits under her sheets with a flashlight and witnesses a loud argument between her parents. Her father is getting louder, her mother quiets down more and more and finally a blow falls. Boldly, she emerges from under her covers and tiptoes to the door. She carefully opens it and watches her father banging against the walls full of self-loathing. Shortly after he leaves the apartment. Slowly, the girl steps out of her room. She walks past the devastated kitchen and looks at the mess left behind by her parents. Her gaze slides from the broken chair and broken plates on the floor to the ravaged dining table and the tipped-over wine glass. With her teddy bear firmly in her arms, she carefully enters the bathroom. Behind the shower curtain sits her distraught mother with numerous bruises and a wine bottle in her hand. She whimpers anxiously. Speechless, the girl looks down at her mother. She tries to comfort but knows it´s not enough. Hastily, she storms back into her room to pull out a ready-packed bag from under her bedside table and grabs the next edible thing from the fridge. Back in the bathroom, she begs her mother with a pleading look. The mother understands, but she can’t even look her daughter in the eyes. Thereupon the girl makes a surprising decision.
Nilo
by Zahra Mojahed, Afghanistan (12.26’’)
The life of an Afghan Muslim girl who was forced to leave her homeland due to her interest in dance
Those Who Heal
by Melina Charlot, France (12.21’’)
A mother in distress is trapped in a destructive daily life, until the day her mysterious neighbor forces her to take a decision.
Heirlooms
by Devina So yanti, Indonesia (16.59’’)
A woman tries to escape from a wrapped ghost, Pocong, by hiding in a man’s house. Later, she realizes that the man is scarier than the Pocong itself.
Deliverance
by Joana Claude, Brazil (10’’)
Searching to purge a bad memory, Joana decides to return to the place where she suffered an act of violence in 2013 to free herself of the last trigger that bounds her to this incident from the past – a wardrobe. In this self-portrait, the director appropriates the essayist traits of the documentary as a process to deal with inner ghosts. Through a ritual established by a recollection of facts, she confronts her own expectations facing the charges she endures as a woman.