Silent Voice
Documentary, 51′, 2020
Production : Dublin Films
Coproduction : Need Productions (Belgium) & Maelstrom Studios (France)
Director : Reka Valerik
Co-writer : Anaïs Llobet
Synopsis :
Khavaj, a young MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter, fled Chechnya when his brother discovered his homosexuality and promised to kill him, under the persecution of Kadyrov’s regime. In Brussels, facing the shock of exil, he is struck by mutism. The only link that he keeps with Chechnya are the vocal messages that his mother sends him.
The film traces Khavaj’s first months in Belgium. Forced to live in total anonymity to escape the Chechen diaspora, he will try to build a new identity.
Main Credits :
DOP: Arnaud Alberola
Sound: Hélène Clerc Denizot
Editing: Jeanne Oberson
Sound mix : Aline Gavroy
Director assistant: Sonam Larcin
Coproducers: Anne-Laure Guégan et Géraldine Sprimont
Producer: David Hurst
Festivals :
2020
IDFA – Competition for Mid-Length Documentary (Netherlands, November)
2021
FIPADOC – Official competition, National Documentary (France, January)
ArtDocFest Moscou and St-Petersbourg – Official competition (Russia, april)
ArtDocFest Riga – Grand Jury Prize (Latvia, april)
HotDocs international documentary festival – Best Mid-Length Award (Canada, april/may)
Millenium International Documentary Film – Best Film award – Young Vision competition (Belgium, may)
DOXA Documentary Film Festival – International competition (Canada, may)
Pinkapple queer film festival – Official competition (Switzerland, may)
One World International Film Festival – Russian Standard section (Czech Republic, may)
Diaspora Film Festival – Diaspora in Focus : Rainbow Refugees section (South Korea, may)
Biografilm Festival – Special mention – International competition (Italy, june)
One World Romania – section No place like home (Roumania, June)
Queer Film Days – Queer & Migrant International film (Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, june)
Festival de Brive – International Medium-lenght encounters – Jury Prize – International competition (France, july)
DocAviv – International competition (Israel, july)
First Look – Museum of the Moving Image (USA, july)
Barbican Centre – Programme New East Cinema (England, august)
XPOSED Queer Festival – Audience Choice Lolly Award (Germany, august)
États généraux du film documentaire – Éxpériences du regard section (France, august)
Festival Millennium Docs Against Gravity – Competition, section Man in Film (Poland, September)
Beldocs Festival – EleMental and Fireworks section (Serbia, september)
Queer Lisboa – Documentary competition (Portugal, september)
Corsica Doc – Festival’s prize, short film’s section (France, october)
Crocevia di Sguardi festival (Italia, october)
Outshine Film festival – Official selection (USA, october)
Festival International du Cinéma des Peuples Ânûû-rû Âboro – International competition (New-Caledonia, october)
Festival DocsMx – Special mention, Global Docs section (Mexico, october)
FLIMM – Out of compétition (France, october)
Les Escales Documentaires – Jury Special mention (France, november)
Festival Interférences – Competition (Lyon, novembre)
International Queer & Migrant Film Festival (Amsterdam, november)
Chéries-Chéris – Jury Prize (Paris, november)
Traces de Vies – Competition (Clermont-Ferrand, november)
