Rising Silence (2019)

 

Documentary film
 

If no one heeds your call, walk alone' A journey of relationships between women, dealing with war, violence and daily prejudice to heal and create the future with unconditional love.

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Rising Silence is a journey of relationships between women. When society refuses to hear them, the Birangona, Heroines of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh; hold closely to tell their stories to each other and the next generation to understand their identity. To never forget how as women they have refused to be diminished as they have tried to heal and overcome the ravages of conflict, violence and prejudice. To create the future with the power of unconditional love.

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Rising Silence is an award-winning documentary film by first-time director Leesa Gazi about The Birangona women of Bangladesh. Birangona is an honourific given to the women in 1971 after the Liberation War of Bangladesh, to recognise the sacrifice of more than 400,000 who were raped and tortured by the Pakistani army and their collaborators.

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In December 2018 we presented a screening and discussions together with our partners on this journey Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr Denis Mukwege and his colleagues at his foundation at The Hague. This is a conversation the Leesa began in 2017, the Birangona very much attending and shaping this conversation as part of an international movement and campaign dedicated to ending sexual violence as a weapon of war worldwide; and for the people affected acknowledgement of their experience and end to societal prejudice.  https://www.mukwegefoundation.org

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Website: https://www.risingsilence.co.uk   

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Director: Leesa Gazi
Executive Producer: Abbas Nokhasteh, Openvizor
Producer: Komola Collective
Co-Producer: Onjali Rauf, Making Herstory
Director of Photography: Shahadat Hossain
Camera Second Unit: Matt Kowalczuk
Sound Recordist: Ali Ahsan
DI: iGene, Chennai India
Colourist    : Nanda Kumar R
Head of Production: Chandrakanth P.T
Editor: Tijmen Veldhuizen
Editorial Consultant: Dina Hossain
Assistant Editor: Naser Abdullah, Tareque Masud -Memorial Trust
Music Direction: Sohini Alam, Oliver Weeks
Production Co-ordinator: Mohammad Rafi Sumon
Designer: Caitlin Abbott (UK), Bipasha Hayat (Bangladesh)
Research Advisor: Hasan Arif
Archive Source: Tareque Masud - Memorial Trust
With the Kind Support of" Manusher Jonno Foundation, Zafreen Ghani & Tanvir Ghani, The Osiris Group, Faisal Gazi