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Cutting Silence (2007) "... simple and beautiful, this powerful messaged film shows women gripped by fear at the thought of a child dying because of culture and tradition." (DIFF)
       Genre: Narrative Short Film (Docudrama) Estimated Duration: 27 minutes Topic: Female Genital Mutilation In association with: International Radio Pictures Ltd. Funded by: The Austrian Department of Women's Affairs Awards: Best Costume Design (The International Digital Video and HD Film Festival) Big Fish School of Digital Film Award (Durban International Film Festival 2008) Nominations: Best Drama Short (The International Digital Video and HD Film Festival), Best Director (The International Video and HD Film Festival), Best Short film under 30 minutes (The International Film Festival of South Africa) Cast: Madina Wario, Linda Sokhulu, Vatiswa Ndara, Lerato Murabi, Dexter Nwanya Trailer: Purchase complete Short Film via PayPal: PAL DVD: £12 + Postage NTSC DVD: £17 + Postage Synopsis: The film tells the story of a small contemporary North African family having to deal with the traditional practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). The main focus of the film falls on a young mute woman, Haadiya, who has lived with the effects of FGM all her life. Now that the time has come for her own daughter, Karida, to be circumcised, lost memories about her own experience start to return and fill her mind with doubt. However, a culture that demands the infabulation for social acceptance makes her situation more complex.   When Tawvah, bearing the scars of her own infabulation, shows up to do the circumcision on Karida, Haadiya is forced to make a quick and drastic decision. The film investigates the cultural reasons for the continuation of this practice in North African societies. During this short period, actual experiences and scientific facts are condensed into the lives of the five fictional characters, predominantly on the four female characters, who are forced to evaluate their roles as women bound by tradition as well as the life-long damage this cultural practice inflicts on their minds and bodies. The film thus examines through the genre of docudrama the cultural and personal reasons why such a practice still exists in Africa today. Production Purpose: The purpose of Cutting Silence is to create international public awareness of the topic of Female Genital Mutilation. It aims to create an opportunity for the subject to be openly discussed so that people from all walks of life may consider the reasons for the practice’s continued existence as well as the effects it has on African women and children. Critical Dimensions: The stance taken by the film is one that tries to come to terms with the dilemma such women are faced with. Given the delicate subject matter, an honest depiction of what Female Genital Mutilation truly entails is crucial. But the subject is treated with respect due to culture and tradition, yet also with film's responsibility to question critically. This conviction is evident in the visual narration of the events in the film. The script stays true to the film philosophy of Cinéma Humain by using mise-en-scène significantly in order to draw the audience into the personal and cultural realities of FGM. It is a film that translates this important social issue into visual images in a critical as well as artistic fashion. The subject of FGM has not yet received the public attention needed in order for the practice to be effectively discussed. By confronting an audience through short films (and indeed also feature films) public awareness can be initiated and a significant difference can be made. This is what Cutting Silence intends to achieve. It aims at bringing the topic into the public limelight by challenging the audience through the use of all that is film - imagery, story, dialogue and music - so that in the end every member of the audience is asked to consider the film from his or her own point of view and is required on a personal level to think about what the film deals with. Humanitarian/Social Dimension: The issue of Female Genital Mutilation has been a highly controversial topic for many decades now. It is estimated that approximately 150 million girls and women, mostly in Northern African countries, have been affected by FGM. This involves excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching or narrowing of the vaginal opening, also known as infibulation. This is the most extreme form of FGM and constitutes approximately 15% of all cases. Additionally, it involves the use of thorns, string or catgut to stitch the two sides of the vulva. A bridge of scar tissue then forms over the vagina, which leaves only a small opening (the size of a matchstick head) for the passage of urine and menstrual blood.   The Process: Girls between the ages of eight and twelve are taken out at dawn by their mothers to a secluded place where they are usually met by a circumciser or older woman of the community. They are then “initiated” into a state fit for womanhood. Days before, the girls are prepared for the procedure by offering them a special gift – mostly new shoes. The day before, the girls are allowed to drink no fluids, as this would be extremely painful if she were to urinate directly after cutting. Immediately following the cutting, her legs are tied together for four weeks to ensure that the wound does not rip open. During this period the girl cannot move and is often forced to urinate where she is lying. Urinating becomes a process that for the rest of her life will take between ten and fifteen minutes. “When the ties that bound me were removed from my legs, I was able to look at myself for the first time. I discovered a patch of skin completely smooth except for a scar down the middle like a zipper. And that zipper was definitely closed. My genitals were sealed up like a brick wall that no man would be able to penetrate until my wedding night, when my husband would either cut me open with a knife or force his way in”.
– From Waris Dirie’s autobiography, Desert Flower
Useful information about the subject can be found at the following links: http://www.frauen.bka.gv.at/site/cob__20255/5479/default.aspx http://www.unfpa.org/gender/practices1.htm http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/femgen/fgm1.htm http://www.forwarduk.org.uk/ http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/ http://www.waris-dirie-foundation.com/ http://www.art-against-fgm.com/start.htm |