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 :
IDFA 2020 – Competition for Mid-Length Documentary (Netherlands)
ArtDocFest Moscow 2020 (Russia)
ArtDocFest Riga 2021 (Latvia)
FIPADOC 2021 (France) – Official Selection, National Documentary (France)