The film “La fuerza del silencio” (The Strength of Silence) was screened at the Cinematógrafo of the Municipal Arts Center (CMA), attended by its producer, Iñaki Luis.
Iñaki explained that “La fuerza del silencio” aims to shed light on the stories of those who have suffered sexual violence in war zones; the film grew out of a photography project carried out in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Iñaki Luis—a photographer, producer, and filmmaker—explained that the project began in 2022, when a team traveled to the region to create a traveling photography exhibition and a short documentary designed to raise awareness about the consequences of war and violence.
Later, the opportunity arose to transform that work into a larger-scale film production, resulting in a documentary short that has since gained significant recognition at both national and international festivals.
The film has won 10 awards at various festivals and reached the finals of the Fugaz Awards—considered one of Spain’s premier honors for short films—in the documentary category, having been selected from among more than 700 entries.
The filmmaker noted that one of the main production challenges was working in a region still grappling with political and social instability. Added to this were the difficulties of protecting the identity of the protagonist—a survivor of sexual violence who, in addition to facing the aftermath of the assault, suffered stigmatization from her family and society.
“She had to bear a double burden: not only being a survivor of sexual violence but also facing stigma from her family and society,” he explained.
Another challenge was the language barrier, as the story was recorded in Tigrinya—one of the languages spoken in Ethiopia—compounded by limited resources and only one week to conduct the fieldwork. The filmmaker recounted that, during production, they also faced obstacles in documenting cases of sexual violence that occurred during the conflict, due to attempts to keep this issue out of the public eye. Despite these difficulties, the team managed to find the story that enabled the creation of the short film.
Production and post-production also posed a challenge due to the small size of the team. The project involved two people in production and Mexican collaborators during the post-production stage, including a technician specializing in artificial intelligence and animation, as well as composer Paula Acevedo—a Spaniard who has lived in Mexico for 17 years.
For the filmmaker, the value of the work extends beyond the accolades it has received; he believes that documentary film has the power to foster empathy and help bring hidden issues to light.
“There are stories that deserve to be told—stories that touch the heart—and cinema should serve not only to move us emotionally but also to highlight invisible causes and raise awareness,” he stated.
Finally, he emphasized that while a film cannot change reality on its own, it can serve as a first step toward learning about and understanding the consequences of armed conflict—and, in particular, the violence women face during wartime.
Attendees also had the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from the producer.
