Silenced is a fascinating examination of high-profile cases and the systems that have been used against the women involved in this intelligent and compelling film.
In one of the most important film releases for 2026, renowned international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson looks behind the headlines and social media posts to highlight how defamation laws worldwide are being weaponised by alleged perpetrators to silence survivors of rape and sexual violence and the journalists who report it.
For a short time the #MeToo movement which started in 2006 helped to break the silence surrounding gendered violence around the globe, but what should have been a watershed moment quickly faced a new obstacle as defamation laws became a weapon for alleged perpetrators to use to stop women from speaking out.
In Silenced, Jennifer Robinson examines the high profile cases of Hollywood actor Amber Heard which received intensive media attention. In the 2018 Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd the court accepted the allegations Heard had made against former husband, Johnny Depp. However in the 2022 Depp v Heard case the jury found that statements from Heard’s op-ed were false and defamed Depp.
Silenced also looks in detail at the cases brought against Catalina Ruiz-Navarro the Latin American journalist and co-founder of the feminist magazine Volcánicas which collected and commented on anonymous testimonies from eight women who accused filmmaker Ciro Guerra of inappropriate sexual behavior between 2013 and 2020.
Additionally Silenced looks at Brittany Higgins, the Australian former political staffer and the legal barriers she faced in reporting her rape. Also Silenced highlights the work of Sibongile Ndashe, a South African lawyer and human rights activist who has been involved in public interest law since 1999, Ana Bejarano Ricaurte, a Colombian lawyer and professor, who has been involved in the cases brought against Catalina Ruiz-Navarro and Alexi Mostrous, Head of Investigations at The Observer, who examined social media activity during the Depp v Heard case.
Writer and director Selina Miles has produced a fascinating examination of these cases and the systems that have been used against the women involved in this intelligent and compelling film.
With the horrific statistics that one in five Australian women will experience sexual violence after the age of 15 and that on average every 10 days in Australia a woman will be murdered by her partner but that only around 15% of cases brought will make it to court, with even less being successful, it is imperative that as a nation we address this most critical issue.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating 5 out of 5
Distributor: Sharmill Films
