I Was Attacked

Animation documentary that portrays Gender-Based violence as a global contemporary problem.

Disclaimer* This animation contains mention of rape, abuse and harassment, discretion is advised as it might be triggering for some people.

Synopsis

No matter who we are or where we are from, we are not safe, we have been attacked.
Gender-based violence still a world wide contemporary problem.
Women’s voices need to be heard.
But really, why?

Director Statement

This film is not about me or my personal experience, but it is impossible to say that my stories of abuse and harassment didn't end up appearing in the film, as I also share some of those experiences with gender-based violence.
Te film was made in 2021, but I am sure that ten years ago, this film would have been contemporary, and unfortunately, I believe that it will still be in force in a few more years. This is why we need to keep speaking up and fighting for women's rights.

Gender-based violence is a global problem; the testimonies in different languages were crucial for making the film international; this showed that it happens to any woman regardless of their appearance or clothing; because of this, I tried to represent a diversity of races, ages, and body types.

The journey to develop this project started from frustration and exhaustion, of living and seeing, no matter the country or the age, women experience gender violence daily, even in the simplest situations of daily life such as walking on the street. As Agnès Varda said in The Beaches of Agnès: "I tried to be a joyful feminist, but I was very angry." Indeed, I am very angry and tired of worrying about me or any woman not being safe.
The process of making this film was a rollercoaster of emotions; working with testimonies is hard, but I could not be happier that I have found support in friends family and that women I have not met before were willing to share with me very hard and personal experiences. I couldn't be more amazed of the power of women communities and solidarity.

This film is for women not to feel alone and to encourage them to speak out. And it is for me to reflect on "but why?" this is still happening. To question themselves on the changes they can make on their daily bases to not replicate or condemn violent behaviour, to stop Gender-Based violence.

The conversation about gender violence started a while ago, but there's still left much work to do. This film is one more contribution to the fight for women's rights.

If you feel the need to talk about your experiences, or need resources, do not hesitate to contact me (go to the contact form in this web page). I do not have professional training on violence crisis, but I do have a lot of resources and can give you support during your journey.

(2021 statistics above)

Gender-Base Violence is such a huge topic that it is importante to remember that the situations portrayed on the film have the same importance as the ones that couldn't be included. There are way more situations, places, experiences, out there.

As any other documentary, this is just a taste of the magnitude of the problem.

Storyboard

I worked simultaneously with the storyboard and on getting the testimonies, the storyboard need to be flexible. This I why I made it in a format that I could move around and play with the rhythm. This allowed me to have the balance between the imagery and the voices.