Zero Impunity

For centuries, sexual abuse in war zones has had devastating consequences for the victims and their social environment – while the perpetrators are often appallingly protected by immunity and remain unpunished. “Zero Impunity” is a global transmedia project by the Blies brothers, who want to put an end to this grievance. The project relies on animation as its “weapon”: the anidoc is the heart of the movement. The film is not limited to reports on well-known crisis regions such as Central Africa or Syria, but also shows examples from countries like the Ukraine or the USA. And it not only addresses sexual violence against women and children. The Directors Nicolas Blies, Stéphane Hueber-Blies and Denis Lambert also let male victims of violence have their say. The film team interviewed victims and their families, as well as psychologists, reporters and helpers.
“Zero Impunity” is divided into chapters, each devoted to one story. It begins with Nora, an 11-year-old girl who was abducted to put pressure on her father. After her release, she no longer spoke and could not stand being near men, not even her father or uncle. What has been done to this girl will not only accompany her throughout her entire life, but also affect her family and the entire village. For this reason, some refer to sexual assault as “radioactive”: its impact spreads without anyone being able to do anything about it.
By combining animated interview sequences of incidents of sexual violence with investigative journalism, “Zero Impunity” succeeds in giving the victims not only a voice, but also a face to their stories, while preserving their anonymity. It is the first feature-length film by the Blies brothers, who make committed social-impact films by combining traditional cinema with new media. “Zero Impunity” was among the nominated feature films in the Contrechamp Competition at this year’s film festival in Annecy.