OCTOBER
18-21 2021
WEDNESDAY - 20TH OCTOBER
FORCED MARRIAGE
5:00 p.m.
Knots: A forced marriage story (2020)
Kate Ryan Brewer // USA
ENGLISH
The documentary gives the audience a closer look at forced and child marriage in the U.S., which has gone unnoticed by the majority of the people. The act is legal and many young women suffer its consequences. The documentary follows three women, survivors of forced marriage, who share their stories and try to put an end to human rights abuse in the U.S. The film tries to show to its audience that child and forced marriage is not only something that is happening on the other side of the globe, but also next to them.
According to the director of the documentary, Kate Ryan Brewer, the team of this project “worked to expose the dark underbelly of the otherwise Pinterest-perfect concept of marriage in America. To give survivors a platform where their voices can be heard, their experiences felt. To let others know they are not alone.”
Too Young To Wed: The Secret World of Child Brides (2011)
ENGLISH
Stephanie Sinclair // USA
7:30 p.m.
Stefanie Sinclair documented child and forced marriage in five developing countries over a period of eight years and the result of her work is “Too Young to Wed”. The documentary was done in conjunction with National Geographic, which was focusing on this phenomenon in the year that the film was released.
The documentary showcases the traditions regarding child marriage that are still preserved in countries like India, Nepal, Yemen, Ethiopia and Afghanistan. The ritual is practiced more as a business transaction, in which the girls have no say or power. They are stripped of their education, taken away from their families and friends, abused, raped and forced to give birth with their own lives on the line.
7:40 p.m.
Child, Bride, Mother: Nigeria (2017)
ENGLISH
Stephanie Sinclair // USA
In one out of the 3 multimedia New York Times pieces of the series “Child, Bride, Mother”, abduction victims of Boko Haram in Nigeria speak about their traumatic experiences. The project was aiming to inform and raise awareness over the situation in Nigeria, another creation of Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist Stefanie Sinclair, with the support of New York Times and Ford Foundation.
The girls were forced to be the “wives” of Boko Haram fighters in order to give birth and raise the next generation of fighters. More than 9.000 women and girls had been abducted and forced to be married violent men since the beginning of Boko Haram. Child marriage was used as a weapon of war. After escaping the group, the survivors found new difficulties starting a new life and adjusting peacefully to society. An atmosphere of distrust and fear was created around them and the people were not ready to accept, nor help them.