The Other Side of Silence
Ms. Gerd Fleischer, 81, an activist and a child born of World War II in Norway, embarks on a journey through six post-war countries—Germany, Bosnia, Uganda, Vietnam, Iraq, and Ukraine.As she travels, Gerd shares her own life story, marked by experiences of abuse, stigma, struggles for justice, setbacks, and eventual triumphs. She also listens to the stories of other « enemy children »—those born from conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in these war-torn regions.Struck by the haunting similarities in the fates of these forgotten children—spanning three generations and multiple continents—Gerd resolves to bring their voices to the Ukrainian Parliament. Carrying these testimonies as powerful human evidence, she urges lawmakers to establish permanent legal protections for Ukraine’s own war children.
Tone Grottjord-Glenne (Norvège / Norvège)
Alex Tondowski (Allemagne)
Sant & Usant
Tondowski film
- Raise awareness and facilitate concrete actions: A) Grassroots - community sensitization to initiate dialogue and aid integration; B) NGOs – to highlight the need for programming; C) Academia – to encourage research.
- Influence policy and legislation - to improve the rights and wellbeing of affected children born of CRSV and local communities.
- Support advocacy and self-empowerment of children born of CRSV - to amplify voices of activists and survivors and contribute to sustainable solutions informed by lived experiences of affected groups.
- Enlarge existing networks among grassroots organisations, NGOs, policy- and lawmakers to enhance the reach of the film and its utilisation for multi-layered impact activities.
- Generate finances and knowledge/skills support and mentorship to implement programmes of psychosocial and economic empowerment support for grassroots groups.
- Build on and enhance strong partnerships with Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, UK and Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative Alliance to use film in advocacy for legal protection for children born of CRSV globally.
- Develop context-specific educational material to use film as a grassroots action-learning tool.
- Collaborate with academic and third-sector researchers to develop robust evaluation tools for film impact efficacy.
Film funders
Norwegian Film Institute
Viken Film Center
Ministry of Culture, Norway
Creative Europe
Broadcasters
ARTE/NDR
NRK
Al Jazeera Balkans (tbc)
Distributors
REALSCREEN
EDUCATIONAL STORYTELLING
NGOs & International Organisations
GRACE – Global Reconciliation, Advocacy and Community-building Engagement in war-affected regions, UK
Facilitation of Peace and Development (FAPAD) Lira, Uganda.
The Forgotten Children of War, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Foundations & Philanthropists
Fritt Ord Foundation
Bergesensstiftelsen
Film funders
Norwegian Film Institute
Viken Film Center
Ministry of Culture, Norway
Creative Europe
Broadcasters
ARTE/NDR
NRK
Al Jazeera Balkans (tbc)
Distributors
REALSCREEN
EDUCATIONAL STORYTELLING
NGOs & International Organisations
GRACE – Global Reconciliation, Advocacy and Community-building Engagement in war-affected regions, UK
Facilitation of Peace and Development (FAPAD) Lira, Uganda.
The Forgotten Children of War, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Foundations & Philanthropists
Fritt Ord Foundation
Bergesensstiftelsen